Language Rant Part Deux

[MuseChaser]

I wish I could report that reading posts about installs, fitment, and rims no longer drives me crazy, but that would be inaccurate.

I'd be happy to relay that "as well" now sounds normal and unpretentious to me, but sadly.. I'm not quite there yet. I'll keep trying as well.

Instead, I thought it'd be more fun to focus on a new source of consternation; the usage of words to make it sound like you're doing something amazing when, in fact, you're doing pretty much nothing.

What am I talking about, you might ask?

Well, let's start with an ad Time Warner Cable ran a while (years?) ago, advising customers to upgrade to the huge cable package that had every channel ever created so that the customer can "feel the power of YOU!" Yep.. they actually described the act of watching TV as a power that you can feel. Watch Time Warner Cable because you are POWERFUL! Sitting on your butt all day will eventually give you a powerful heart attack, I guess....

Another example? Rock music has its root in having a high, visceral energy, and not necessarily in subtlety. Not bashing it.. just putting it out there. Rock performers burn a lot of calories, and images of sweaty rock musicians purvade the industry. Hence the evolution of the phrase, "to rock," used to describe something particularly intense, i.e., "Dude, the entire party ROCKED!" or whatever. Now, "Johnny rocked a pink scarf with his ensemble." Johnny didn't rock anything.. he wore a flippin' piece of fabric around his neck. Pretty much anyone could do that. OK, not PRETTY much anyone... ANYONE. "Suzy rocked a pair of studded Calvins." Nope, Suzy wore a pair of overpriced pants. Great job.

How about "extreme?" Extreme was.. well... extreme. Extreme bad weather. Extreme heat. Extreme cold. Then... extreme sports. I'll give you that one.. some really are extreme. Then.. extreme diets. Extreme fashion. OK... you could probably make a case even there. Now... extreme colors. Extreme lip gloss. I'm rocking an extreme sweater now as I feel the power of me by my TV. Almost gives me the runs.


Speaking of which...got time for one more? It's a forum favorite. "Running." "What rims are you running?" "I'm running a a Big Sniffer kryptonite polished intake." "Yeah, well I run a JSRC on my square wheel setup while rocking a JDM lightweight dipstick." You're not RUNNING anything.. you're sitting on your butt driving a car. The engine is running, sure. You.. not so much.

Awesome.

[humfrz]

The word that gets me is the new use of the word "sick".

Every time I see it used anymore, I have to do a brain cell conversion.....


Must be nap time ..........


humfrz .............ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[Guru Woodman]

"Literally".

Example: "I was literally living out of my suitcase". Really?

[Guru Woodman]

"Bro" or worse "Bruh"

Example: "Nice car, bro" What, are you my long lost brother I didn't know I had? No? That's what I thought"

[murdoc]

I think I'm still a few birthdays away from this thread.

[Guru Woodman]

"Crying"

Example: "I was literally crying my eyes out when I read your post". No less then 3 no-no's

I see this in all over social media. People are 'crying' over the silliest of things. A p;icture of a puppy is enough.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Guru Woodman

"Crying"

Example: "I was literally crying my eyes out when I read your post". No less then 3 no-no's

I see this in all over social media. People are 'crying' over the silliest of things. A p;icture of a puppy is enough.

It's OK to cry...

[Tcoat]

Are many of the words we used all our life really any better than some of these?
"Cool" Is something really a lower temperature because people like it?
"Hot" Will you burn you fingers if you touch that really attractive girl.
"Man" Although technically accurate such things as "Hey man" is a bit impersonal.

Could go on and on but since we are used to those words we think they are fine. No doubt that people from 1920 would think that words we find normal were just as strange as we do now. Slang comes and goes.

Still hate "fitment" since it isn't really slang but people think it is a real word.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Still hate "fitment" since it isn't really slang but people think it is a real word.

Well, it is. It just does not mean what people think it means. Like 'incentivize' wasn't a word till they decided to add it because dumbasses win. That still doesn't incent me to use wrong words just because...

fitment
[fit-muh nt]

noun
1. equipment; furnishing.
2. fitments, fittings : the fitments of a ship.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by cjd

Well, it is. It just does not mean what people think it means. Like 'incentivize' wasn't a word till they decided to add it because dumbasses win. That still doesn't incent me to use wrong words just because...

fitment
[fit-muh nt]

noun
1. equipment; furnishing.
2. fitments, fittings : the fitments of a ship.

Ya I should have been more clear about what I meant as not a word.

It is not a noun, verb, adjective or any other replacement for the word fit which is what people seem to think it is.

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Are many of the words we used all our life really any better than some of these?
"Cool" Is something really a lower temperature because people like it?
"Hot" Will you burn you fingers if you touch that really attractive girl.
"Man" Although technically accurate such things as "Hey man" is a bit impersonal.

Could go on and on but since we are used to those words we think they are fine. No doubt that people from 1920 would think that words we find normal were just as strange as we do now. Slang comes and goes.

Still hate "fitment" since it isn't really slang but people think it is a real word.

Yes, there's always "the other side," and yes, despite your desire to play devil's advocate, I know you secretly agree with me.. <grin>.. or not...

Having said that, there's a bit of distinction between your examples and the ones I gave..

"Cool" has been around since the late 1940's, and grew out of a movement in jazz. It was a rejection of "hot" jazz.. notey, lots of embellishment, fast, complicated. "Hot," similarly, has been around since then and it, too, grew out of musical styles and idioms. "Man,".. yep.. it's been around a VERY long time, too. Unlike the other two terms, it's just a friendly colloquial way of introducting familiarity into a conversation. In the Syracuse, NY area, it's very common for a waitress or other service personnel to address a client as "honey." I don't like it, but it's a way to project friendliness. That's what "man" is, even when used in a difficult situation.. "Hey, man, get off my car!" has a greater chance to diffuse a bad situation than "Hey, butt nugget, get off my car!" At least with "Man," the offender feels respected.

I'm glad we agree on "fitment." As others have already stated, it IS a word, but doesn't exist in the context most use it in here on this forum.

I'm just having fun. "Partner" is another one that I wish hadn't "evolved." I have a partner in my airplane. Every time I refer to my partner, folks think I'm being homosexually unfaithful to my female wife.

I get your point, T. Yeah, I'm old... and yeah, I'm right.. <grin>.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

Yes, there's always "the other side," and yes, despite your desire to play devil's advocate, I know you secretly agree with me.. <grin>.. or not...

Having said that, there's a bit of distinction between your examples and the ones I gave..

"Cool" has been around since the late 1940's, and grew out of a movement in jazz. It was a rejection of "hot" jazz.. notey, lots of embellishment, fast, complicated. "Hot," similarly, has been around since then and it, too, grew out of musical styles and idioms. "Man,".. yep.. it's been around a VERY long time, too. Unlike the other two terms, it's just a friendly colloquial way of introducting familiarity into a conversation. In the Syracuse, NY area, it's very common for a waitress or other service personnel to address a client as "honey." I don't like it, but it's a way to project friendliness. That's what "man" is, even when used in a difficult situation.. "Hey, man, get off my car!" has a greater chance to diffuse a bad situation than "Hey, butt nugget, get off my car!" At least with "Man," the offender feels respected.

I'm glad we agree on "fitment." As others have already stated, it IS a word, but doesn't exist in the context most use it in here on this forum.

I'm just having fun. "Partner" is another one that I wish hadn't "evolved." I have a partner in my airplane. Every time I refer to my partner, folks think I'm being homosexually unfaithful to my female wife.

I get your point, T. Yeah, I'm old... and yeah, I'm right.. <grin>.

I have posted the definition of fitment probably 100 times here but have no illusions that it will change anything.
Yes cool came from a certain culture and then worked it's way into common use. So did the new words. You excuse the old ones because you agree with the culture that developed them not so much just because of the word.
Just be glad some words do go away! Can you just imagine these young guys walking around saying "groovy dude"?

[Ultramaroon]

I hate it when people use French words in English. So bourgeois.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I hate it when people use French words in English. So bourgeois.

Meh. Ces't la vie.