A dusty tempest in a teapot

No, the term "haboob" is not an alternate description for xenophobes, though it would fit nicely. (As in: Ha! What boobs!) That said, an Arizona Republic reader complained that he was "insulted" by TV weather forecasters with the temerity to use "haboob" when describing local dust storms. "This is Arizona, not some Middle Eastern nation. ... How do they think our soldiers feel coming back to Arizona and hearing some Middle Eastern term that is clearly an Arizona phenomenon?" wrote Don Yonts of Gilbert (a Phoenix suburb). There's no point in reproaching Mr. Yonts (think Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino). His statement betrays the extent of his worldliness, and it's best to just get off his lawn. Still, to have a conniption fit over a word makes the mind reel. Yes, the term "haboob" is rooted in the Arabic word habūb, meaning “violent wind,” according to the Webster dictionary. Yes, its popular usage in America is unusual (though meteorologists use it routinely). The trouble with prejudice is that you can't be a little bit pregnant. It one objects to haboob because of its Arabic origins, then one also has to object to admiral, adobe, alcohol, arsenal, candy, lemon, giraffe, magazine, safari, sofa, tangerine and zero -- just to name a few words directly derived from the Arabic language. But I'm in a generous mood. Perhaps aggrieved souls like Mr. Yonts are better viewed in the context of Hanlon's Razor, an eponymous adage that states: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."