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"Red-button issue" in Esperanto?

by robbkvasnak, February 25, 2015

Messages: 8

Language: English

robbkvasnak (User's profile) February 25, 2015, 4:26:00 PM

In today's NYT there is a fantastic article by Frank Bruni: "The GOP's Assertive God Squad" (truly a must-read!) Mr. Bruni uses the expression "red-button issue" (it has been used in the forum as well). How does one translate that into Esperanto. I checked Wikipedia and Wells, but not indication for E.
Some thoughts .....

nornen (User's profile) February 25, 2015, 4:27:43 PM

Could you define what a "red-button issue" is? I don't know this expression and I am really intrigued.

Maybe a topic which is so "hot" that if you start talking about it, somebody will press a red-button and a SWAT teams will jump you and carry you off to the Ministry of Truth? Like Tabuthema in German?

robbkvasnak (User's profile) February 25, 2015, 6:48:21 PM

sort of.... it is a theme or subject that has been "politicized" so that people get upset just talking about it. It is also used for individuals in American English, as in "she can hit all of my hot buttons" meaning she knows just what to talk about to make me angry. For example, abortion is a hot button issue in the United States. Politicians throw this word into speeches just to rally their supporters around other ideas. So, for example, if they want to pass a law giving $1 million to a corporation that has funded their election, they start the speech off mentioning how strongly they have opposed abortion and they drivel on about this for a while. And then they say; And since I oppose abortion so strongly, we should appropriate these funds to xxxx Industries. Do I hear your support?!?!" Hurrah!

lagtendisto (User's profile) February 25, 2015, 9:07:16 PM

robbkvasnak:meaning she knows just what to talk about to make me angry.
Sounds like idea of German Reizwort/ stimulus word/ 'stimulvorto'.

noelekim (User's profile) February 26, 2015, 4:06:51 AM

If "a hot-button issue" is "polemika demando" (a controversial question), could "a red-button issue" be "incita demando" (a provocative question)?

Tempodivalse (User's profile) February 26, 2015, 9:23:28 PM

Wait ...

"Hot-button issue" is not the same as "red-button issue"?

This is news to me, as a native speaker of English. I hear about them quite a bit in the context of politics. Or maybe I just got confused.

robbkvasnak (User's profile) February 26, 2015, 9:27:24 PM

I would interpret them as being the same. "Incita demando" sounds like a good translation to me. Maybe even "incittemo" or "koleriga temo".

novatago (User's profile) February 27, 2015, 1:24:43 AM

robbkvasnak:I would interpret them as being the same. "Incita demando" sounds like a good translation to me. Maybe even "incittemo" or "koleriga temo".
I don't know whether it would be right but you can still express the button idea with ilo: incitilo in figurative sense, at least if in the context it’s clear enough.

Ĝis, Novatago.

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