Hitman vs Assassin
Hitman and assassin are words that we commonly read and hear these days as killings and murders of famous personalities, especially politicians, has become common. The word assassination is used whenever politician is murdered in cold blood and media makes use of words Hitman and assassin for the person who carries out the killing. There are many who feel that the two words hitman and assassin are synonymous and thus can be used interchangeably, whereas there are also many who feel there are differences between these two men. Let us take a closer look at the two words hitman and assassin.
Hitman
There are more ways to earn a living than one can imagine, taking contracts to kill other human beings is in itself a profession, howsoever barbaric or heinous it may sound to people. Yes, there are people who get hired whenever their services (to kill) are hired by others, to kill a man or several men. In lieu for their services, they get paid. This becomes a livelihood for the person who kills for money, and he becomes known as a hitman. This is not a listed profession so that a hitman is not like a plumber or an electrician advertising in yellow pages or be known to people in the neighborhood. A hitman does not seek publicity and remains undercover or anonymously posing off as an ordinary person. All a hitman is interested in is the money he gets for the job which he is entrusted with. Hitmen are mostly hired by underworld, to wipe off enemies and these happen to be waanabe criminals eager to carve a niche for themselves in the underworld.
Assassin
Presidents are assassinated while the average person is killed. This fact tells us that murders or killings of famous people, especially politicians, are labeled as assassinations and the people hired to carry out these killings are called assassins. The word assassin comes from the Persian hashshashin, which was a word used to refer to a group that carried out killings for the faith or for political reasons. Assassins have been used by chieftains, rulers, and kings to wipe off their rivals and enemies to have a safer world for themselves. In the modern world, political assassinations are more of smearing campaigns, but killings of influential political leaders by assassins have been as frequent as at any time in the past.
What is the difference between Hitman and Assassin?
• Both a hitman, as well as an assassin, carry out killings, but whereas hitman appears to be slang used in the underworld, assassin happens to be motivated by political and religious reasons
• Hitman is a professional who receives money to play his part of the contract whereas an assassin may at times do it purely on an ideological basis
• Hitman always kills for money, whereas assassin also kills for a cause, be it peace or revolt