With etymological origin in the Latin word collaterālis , collateral is an adjective that refers to that which is found or produced together with the main thing . The notion also refers to something that is specified indirectly .
In the field of medicine, the negative consequence that occurs when ingesting a medication is called a side effect . It is an adverse reaction in the body, which is not wanted and is harmful. Suppose a doctor tells a patient to take cholesterol-lowering pills. This drug, however, causes an increase in blood pressure as a side effect. The doctor must analyze what is the most convenient dose so that the negative consequence does not outweigh the therapeutic benefits.
In the previous example you can see that the concept of side effect has a nuance that makes it relatively "acceptable", as long as it does not exceed certain limits. Although these consequences are generally negative, the benefits that the treatments can offer prevail, and for this reason health professionals consider them "a necessary evil."
Armies , on the other hand, speak of collateral damage to refer to damage that occurs accidentally or unintentionally within the framework of a military operation. The notion is a euphemism that is often used to mask the death of civilians and the destruction of homes and public infrastructure.
If the armed forces of a country bomb a terrorist enclave, but in that attack they also destroy a school , the authorities will allude to collateral damage. They will do the same if, when advancing on disputed territory, they kill enemy soldiers, but also children who live in the area.
Unfortunately, situations like this happen in almost all wars, and governments justify the deaths of innocent people with an apparent lack of tact that is very worrying. If we start from the basis that no death is justified, not even that of a soldier, since differences between countries should be resolved through the use of words, to think of a civilian who is oblivious to all political issues becoming a victim is even more serious.
In the world of cinema, Collateral Damage is the title of a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas and Francesca Neri, among other actors, directed by Andrew Davis and written by David Griffiths and Ronald Roose. It premiered in 2002 and is about the search for justice by a Los Angeles firefighter who has lost his son and his wife due to a guerrilla attack , for which he travels to Colombia and faces his murderers. .
In colloquial language , the idea of collateral damage is used to name any unwanted or intended consequence . For example: “The dismissal of the coach was collateral damage of the fight between the team captain and the club president” , “Sexist violence leaves thousands of children orphaned as collateral damage” , “The forced evacuation of thirty families “It is collateral damage from the construction of the dam.”
As with many other expressions in our language, it is possible to use "collateral damage" or "collateral effect" to describe any unwanted situation that occurs as a consequence of another, generally also negative one. It is important to remember that technical terms are usually constructed with common words, which in everyday speech are used without the same meanings; For example, "panic attack" has a medical definition that is not always respected in casual conversation.