Much credit to this post.

  • I just disagree with softening the word by adding “soft” at the beginning. A soft coup is a coup. Date rape is still rape, candy-corn-murder is still murder. No need to add prefixes to try and categorize them, and artificially make some sort of hierarchy.

    By naming it any less than a coup, and holding all coups to the same standard, it’s an attempt to soften it, and I am against that.

    • It’s not a hierarchy per se so much as different categories/distinctions which I do think is useful. A serial killer is different than a hitman which is different than a soldier. I agree they are all functionally the same but they serve different purposes and have different characteristics which are important to keep in mind when talking about them.

      That being said you’ve changed my mind on calling it a “soft” coup as it doesn’t really accurately describe the differences I was trying to convey. “Incompetent, halfhearted, and poorly planned autocoup” would be more accurate but it’s a mouthful and I don’t know if that’s the most useful distinction either.

      Either case thanks for the pushback!

      • I definitely agree we have different names for different scenarios!

        When a rich person is murdered, they’re assassinated

        When a religious figure does a magic trick, it’s a miracle etc