Do you notice the word ‘evolving’ is used sentences with negative connotations?

Question

Do you think that by using certain words when talking about the current bogey man, it is subtly trying to link one threat to America with another?

http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20070717_release.pdf

Scroll down to page 6, “Key Judgments.”

“We judge the US Homeland will face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat…”

If they had have said ‘growing’ or ‘increasing’ or ‘developing,’ the sentence still would’ve conveyed the same meaning, wouldn't it?

Answer 1

Interesting take, but I don't agree. I think it's actually a good use of the term. Terrorist threats evolve. Not in the strictly biological sense but analogous to it. Many different types of terrorist attack might be attempted. Most fail. The ones that fail are less likely to be tried again, the successful models are followed. But as with predator and prey relationships, the defenders against attack also change in response to the environment and develop responses to the particular threats they are faced with. The attackers then change their methods because the once successful methods are no longer effective due to the changing defenses. It's a weeding out process, a change in response to the attacker/defense environment and political environment that's a lot like what we see in the world of biology.
Change can be random. Growing or increasing isn't necessarily what we have, just adjusting- altering to fit the conditions. I like the use of evolving here. Too bad it's from a government headed by people who want to deny that biological evolution exists.

Answer 2

I don't know what the fuss is about the usage of this word as it has had a lot of meanings which has been mis-placed along the way. Kaffir is the active participle of the root K-F-R (to cover) It usage was a term to describe farmers who bury seeds in the ground and cover them so they will grow. How did the Islamic world take this meaning of a South African Native farmer and change it into a person who doesn't believe in Allah goes to show that those Islamics didn't really understand the world outside their cave. The word was then picked up by the Portuguese and interpreted as classifying ethnic or native South Africans. Then the Dutch and English came along and used it to describe low paid servants and the Encyclopedia Britannica in 1911 used the term African artifacts as Kaffir which was used in the first place with the word Caffar in 1589 in describing inhabitants of South Africa. So Albeit I will say anyone who is referred to a khaffir is a farmer who grows from seed and produce grain to feed the nation more than all the prayers to Allah will do, that is for sure.

Answer 3

Evolving means gradual change. Moreso, it implies undirected or uncontrolled change. Although artificial selection is a form of evolutionary pressure, most of the science is about natural selection, the process where things that succeed for whatever reason gain the advantage. Evolving is a good word choice since it means changing without our control and improving in its sophistication. Predators evolve along with their prey. There is no conspiracy in the word choice.

Answer 4

Evolving is a recognised word for growing, increasing, developing, changing, progressing... whether it is negative or positive...

For example the cheese in my mum's fridge evolved in to a green fury spotted block...

The potatoes evolved in to slimy furry balls...

And carrots when they evolve are very interesting to study.

You can't just have it in the positive... I have to take all the negatives of Christianity and take them in my stride - you have to understand evolution has not always been good I refer to the above listed examples....

Answer 5

Not to defend terrorist paranoids, but no - evolving means changing and adapting, not just getting bigger. Same thing can be said about crooks - make better burglar alarms, and burglars evolve to defeat them.

Answer 6

no evolving is the perfect word there.