The Oxford dictionary 2nd ed. defines concentration camp as a camp where non combatants are accommodated” The term “concentration camp” was first used to describe camps operated by the British in South Africa during the 1899-1902 Second Boer War. Originally, it was conceived as a form of humanitarian aid to the families whose farms had been destroyed in the fighting. Later, the camps were used to confine and control large numbers of civilians in areas of Boer guerilla activity which gave new meaning to the word.
How did this term that was not originally associated with torture become defined to us as a killing or labour camp? When one hears the phrase “concentration camp,” one thinks of the Nazi's extermination camp against the Jews in World War II. A break down of each word allows us to analyze and possibly determine how the phrase “concentration camp” went from a place of aid to a place of punishment. The word concentration itself gives us many clues.
The Canadian Thesaurus gives a person many synonyms for the word, “concentration”. Once I began to study the meaning of each word I began to see how and why it was being used in its present context. For example the terms, “boil down”, “gather”, and “condense” are all defined as bringing something together and making it smaller. They all can be applied to people and populations. The word “condense” for example, also suggests altering. When the state of something is shrunk it has also been altered or transformed. Making something smaller usually means taking something away. In this case, it would be members of a group or population.
The word “concentration” also refers to mental activity. “Thinking” and “focusing” are synonyms of concentration. When we concentrate on something, we zone in or target a particular idea. Therefore this definition may be expanded not just to ideas but also to people. All concentration camps have held certain people; those who have been put there have been targeted because of their ethnic or religious background.
“Concentrate” also means to fix. “Fix” has two definitions and each apply to the way we view a concentration camp. When we fix our minds on something, we are concentrating on a desired idea, but “fix” also means to change something. Hitler wanted to fix the German population by eliminating the Jews. They were the target race so that Germany would be transformed to his will. It is easier to understand why concentration camp is viewed negatively simply by breaking down the word concentration. The word camp gives us further insight as to why it has become such a horrific phrase.
When one thinks of the word “camp” one immediately visualizes tents or perhaps a cabin in the woods. The word offers us a sense of peace and serenity. Campfires and ghost stories are what we associate with this word. I feel that politicians play on our love of bonding with nature and leaving our cares behind to get away for the weekend. This may be why we do not want to tie the word camp with gas chambers. However, there is more to camping and camps than bonding and relaxing.
A camp usually offers isolation and exclusion from the rest of society. People who are placed in concentration camps are excluded from the rest of civilization. Summer camps have groups and memberships. Someone who is a member of a concentration camp is not thought of a member of society. Camps are also hard work, and with summer camps come games and competition, winners and losers thus the idea of survival of the fittest becomes evident. As well there are always requirements in camps and discipline such as boot camps. Those who do not follow the requirements or meet them are punished. The Jews did not fit Hitler's requirements and thus he felt the need to eradicate them. Perhaps the biggest clue this word presents is that a camp is a temporary living situation. Many people thought they were put in these camps temporarily until the fighting was over. Although many of them were there temporarily, that was only because they died either from the harsh conditions or from being deliberately killed.
The term concentration camp was not originally conceived as a negative phrase; however, through further analyzes it is clear to see how this word was reconstructed to fit a different term. It has not kept its original definition and deludes us to the extent of terror associated with it. Therefore, I believe that although it is not doublespeak, it should be because of its misinterpretation.
