The use of the preposition "by" implies agency on the part of an inanimate object. This goes back to medieval deodand law, in which a rock might be "executed" by sinking in a lake because a farmer tripped over it and broke his neck. To the liberal/progressive mind, the perpetrator who comes from an oppressed or marginalized group cannot possibly be guilty for his/her actions, so it has to be the instrument used to commit the crime. Interestingly, I never see automobiles or rope receiving this treatment. Then again, it is the product of a disordered and illogical medieval mind.
The use of the preposition "by" implies agency on the part of an inanimate object. This goes back to medieval deodand law, in which a rock might be "executed" by sinking in a lake because a farmer tripped over it and broke his neck. To the liberal/progressive mind, the perpetrator who comes from an oppressed or marginalized group cannot possibly be guilty for his/her actions, so it has to be the instrument used to commit the crime. Interestingly, I never see automobiles or rope receiving this treatment. Then again, it is the product of a disordered and illogical medieval mind.
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