re: " "The Bad Guys" "

Vanderleun, posting at American Digest, discusses the enemy.

Money quote(s):

"Boyhood, very early boyhood, should be the last time the phrase "the bad guys" comes out of your mouth."

&

"Once you bid a fond farewell to the things of boys, you should also say good bye to such childish locutions as "the bad guys." A good replacement for this kiddy lingo in this day and age would be "the enemy;" as in "a hostile power or force." "

I must admit I use this terminology fairly regularly. In my defense, I would state that I do so, perhaps condescendingly, to my ideological "betters" when referring to the various "militants," "freedom fighters," "Iraqi minutemen," and such, in a desparate hope that the phrase "bad guys," although perhaps judgemental on my part, will somehow penetrate their thick skulls and reach some dim childhood memory and strike therein a chord.

Your average Iraqi civilian knows who I mean, as they consistently refer to them as "Ali Baba," the bad guy of Arabian Nights fame.