Crenel Cross
This simple design provokes thought into some of the shameful realities of life
Crenel Cross
Crenel Cross
The Crenel Cross, sometimes called an Embattled Cross, is a heraldic cross and symbolises strength.
In a religious setting, it can be symbolise 'Church Militant', that is, the church here on Earth as opposed to 'Church Triumphant' (the church in Heaven) or 'Church Suffering' (Roman Catholicism's church in Purgatory).
The 'Great Wall of China' has around 10 million crenels (and a similar number of tourists tramping over it every day)
Crenel (or crenelle) comes from the Latin crena, which means 'notch'. A similar word in English is 'cranny', as in 'nook and cranny'. It is an architectural term used to describe an indentation, particularly in a battlement you might see atop the turret of a medieval castle or fort. The opposite of crenel is merlon. In other words, the gaps in a parapet are called crenels; the raised bits of wall between them are called merlons. For the Crenel Cross, understanding these different terms is important.
In battle, the defenders behind the battlements1 are protected from incoming missiles by merlons and they fire their arrows or canon through the crenel. So when we refer to a Crenel Cross, we think 'attack'.
Attack and defence are opposites, but we often use the word 'defence' as a euphemism for war. If this cross was being invented today, we would no doubt use the euphemism Merlon Cross. We use strange language in warfare, and when you think about it, some of our choices of words are quite silly. For example, 'Humanitarian war' is an oxymoron.
Other revolting and sly euphemisms which desensitize mass killing, prevent shareholders from pulling their support away from the arms industry, and enable politicians and voters sleep at night, include:
| We say: | We mean: |
| military intervention | use of deadly force |
| armed services | people we pay to do our killing |
| boots on the ground | sons sent out to kill people |
| security contractors | higher paid killers |
| debriefing | interrogation |
| enhanced debriefing techniques | torture |
| liberating the oppressed | invading nations that happen to have our oil under their sand |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | invading nations that happen to have our oil under their sand - and let's make sure we get it before the Chinese do. Make sure also that we all get a campaign medal, including cooks and pay clerks. |
| reconstruction | billions of dollars to U.S. companies |
| theatre | death zone |
| Critical Incident Stress Management Unit | mental health workers who treat morgue staff |
| incontinent ordnance | a missile that goes off target, potentially killing civilians |
| soft targets | defenseless people to be killed (and encourage those who survive to take up arms against us, thereby prolonging the source of income for our arms manufacturers) |
| clean up | kill anyone who hasn't managed to run to safety |
| collateral damage | people killed |
| body count | the number of people killed |
| surgical strike | kill people |
| neutralise | kill people |
| engage | kill people |
| contact | kill people |
| regime change | kill people |
| stay the course | kill people |
... and so the list goes on. As Timothy Lynch says: "By corrupting language, the people who wield power are able to fool the others about their activities and evade responsibility and accountability." (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6654)
1: In Norman England, noblemen could only include battlements in their buildings if a 'licence to crenellate' had been granted by the king or an authorised bishop. Today, local planning officers probably don't mind too much, but be warned; firing arrows or canon from battlements might attract frowns from the police.
And if you fancy a puzzle, see if you can explain why battlements appear on this symbol.
