Denial is a way of 21st-century American life.
The Washington Times noticed that the local DC government is making its gang problem go away by not talking about them--i.e., by calling the groups of young males responsible for the spike in city violence (10 murders in the past two weeks) not gangs, but "crews."
But, as the Times reported:
...police officials in other cities say the distinction is counterproductive. "The very first step in dealing with gangs is denial," said Capt. Charles Bloom of the Philadelphia Police Department. "Then you get to the point that you can't deny it anymore."
Or maybe you don't. That is, denial is going to wear thin for doers who want to solve problems; for those who find a permanent respite in avoiding problems, however, the overriding compulsion is to deny reality permanently. If the US government can make jihadists go away by calling them "extremists," why can't the DC government make gangs go away by calling them "crews"?
Then again, the feds might as well make "extremists" go away, too. Why not call extremists "crews" as well? After all, al Qaeda is a group of young males responsible for a spike in world violence.
I can see it now: The Department of Homeboy Security declares War on Radical Crews. Although maybe that's too confrontational. How about the War on Radical Cruise?
Snooze.