define: blackmail

aruna · May 17, 2006

Having a senior moment here.

Normally, the threat in blackmail is to harm the person you're blackmailing; what if it's harm to yourself?

Example: that Irish guy in prison who threatened to (and did) starve himself to death if the government didn't do this or that.

I have a feeling that there's a specific word for that but it completely evades me and the dictionary/thesaurus is no help.

unthoughtknown · May 18, 2006

Isn't that just classified as a threat? I wouldn't call it blackmail, though.

unthoughtknown · May 18, 2006

Dictionary.com defines it as this:

1. Extortion of money or something else of value from a person by the threat of exposing a criminal act or discreditable information.
2. Something of value extorted in this manner.

If whoever that person is threatening would experience a loss of something valuable (to them) as a result, then it would be considered blackmail...

reph · May 18, 2006

I don't think there's a word for that. The closest concept I know of is martyrdom.

Alien Enigma · May 18, 2006

Blackmail is similar to this: If you do something for me, I won't do "X." It's a form of a tradeoff or a deal, but it has sinister motives.

Hunger Strike would probably fit the situation you're talking about.

Jeff

aruna · May 18, 2006

Thanks to all; I guess in this situation threat is the best word. For some reason I was convinced there was a separate word. Must be going off my rocker, or confusing it with something german and offbeat.

maestrowork · May 18, 2006

a "protest"?

aruna · May 18, 2006

maestrowork said:
a "protest"?

yeah, I gues in this case it was a mass protest.

alleycat · May 18, 2006

To those in support of the hunger strike, it's a protest. To those whom the strike is aimed against, it's blackmail.

I just know I wouldn't be any good at it. They would break me the first time they waved a pepperoni pizza or cheeseburger under my nose. ;-)

ac

sacredmime · May 18, 2006

If it's David Blane, you can call it a publicity stunt. If not, you could call it extreme dieting

define: blackmail

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

unthoughtknown

practical experience, FTW

unthoughtknown

practical experience, FTW

reph

Fig of authority

Alien Enigma

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

alleycat

Still around

sacredmime

Esteemed New Member