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Thread: How precious are words?

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    Why would I deliberately misinterprate your meaning? What an asinie assumption. I started the thread to gain a deeper understanding.
    You choose to act as a guardian of history, I choose the convienence of a powerful vocabulary. Maybe when I am wiser I will feel more akin to your idea, however to think that an occasional use of a weighted word in a verbal jousting match among idiots is going to influence future generations of scholars from detecting the horror of Hitler's Germany seems weak reasoning at best.
    It is the responsibility of every American citizen to own a modern military rifle.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rune View Post
    Why would I deliberately misinterprate your meaning? What an asinie assumption. I started the thread to gain a deeper understanding.
    You choose to act as a guardian of history, I choose the convienence of a powerful vocabulary. Maybe when I am wiser I will feel more akin to your idea, however to think that an occasional use of a weighted word in a verbal jousting match among idiots is going to influence future generations of scholars from detecting the horror of Hitler's Germany seems weak reasoning at best.
    Nah, you chose to put the importance on "certain words" and then assign that same meaning to what I said, drawing it out of context and deliberately misapplying meaning.

    I'm good with that, I just don't think it is either honest or deep.

    Do you believe that the history of the holocaust should be diminished by making the words commonplace without the impact of the history?

    I don't stop you from using the words, I just take the opportunity to teach people of the actual history so that the history itself will not be diminished by making its use cartoonish.

    It isn't historians that need to be reminded.
    Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
    - -- Aristotle

    Believe nothing on the faith of traditions, even though they have been held in honor for many generations and in diverse places. Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it. Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past. Do not believe what you yourself have imagined, persuading yourself that a God inspires you. Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests. After examination, believe what you yourself have tested and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.
    - -- The Buddha

    It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
    - -- Aristotle

  3. #33 | Top
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    Quote Originally Posted by Damocles View Post
    You describe it that way, I did not. Your straw man is weak, unclothed, and obvious.
    My strawman wear lipstick!

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Phantasmal For This Post:

    Damocles (03-16-2012)

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    Quote Originally Posted by Damocles View Post
    Nah, you chose to put the importance on "certain words" and then assign that same meaning to what I said, drawing it out of context and deliberately misapplying meaning.

    I'm good with that, I just don't think it is either honest or deep.

    Do you believe that the history of the holocaust should be diminished by making the words commonplace without the impact of the history?

    I don't stop you from using the words, I just take the opportunity to teach people of the actual history so that the history itself will not be diminished by making its use cartoonish.

    It isn't historians that need to be reminded.
    Isn't it obvious I don't understand? Why would I need to be devious? Learning just now that you are a historian helps. If the thread had been full of blacksmithing misnomers I likely would have jumped in too.
    I note that you disregarded points I made which IMHO are valid.
    It is the responsibility of every American citizen to own a modern military rifle.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rune View Post
    Isn't it obvious I don't understand? Why would I need to be devious? Learning just now that you are a historian helps. If the thread had been full of blacksmithing misnomers I likely would have jumped in too.
    I note that you disregarded points I made which IMHO are valid.
    I answered each point in the post I quoted, up to and including pointing out that it isn't historians that I think may have a diminished understanding of the history. Your sarcastic suggestion that historians would somehow misunderstand was an attempt at misdirection, I redirected it when I said that it isn't the historians that need to be reminded if you choose to use the "weighted words" for "more power" in a way that will diminish the history.

    It is the same reason that people shouldn't use the "n-word" in such a cartoonish way, IMO. It may take power from the word, but the word should have power, it reminds us of a terrible time in our own history and its continued impact in modern times.
    Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
    - -- Aristotle

    Believe nothing on the faith of traditions, even though they have been held in honor for many generations and in diverse places. Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it. Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past. Do not believe what you yourself have imagined, persuading yourself that a God inspires you. Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests. After examination, believe what you yourself have tested and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.
    - -- The Buddha

    It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
    - -- Aristotle

  7. #36 | Top
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lowaicue View Post
    ...Vvv few pitchers can addy quately tell asstorie one thet ken is Guernica by Pablo Picasso...
    We saw Guernica when it was still at MoMA and if you think outside of context that picture says anything at all, you just have to show it to people unfamiliar with its background and you will find your answer. Let us know.





    Quote Originally Posted by Damocles View Post
    ....It is the same reason that people shouldn't use the "n-word" in such a cartoonish way, IMO. It may take power from the word, but the word should have power, it reminds us of a terrible time in our own history and its continued impact in modern times.
    Words change consider gay as an example, but if you'd like to understand the changing N_word, ride the Broad Street subway in Philly with the black students and you'll find it is closer in meaning to a simple put down and has no historical consideration at all for them.
    Last edited by midcan5; 03-17-2012 at 06:44 AM.
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