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Phrases or words that indicate to you the contents of an 'article' or post are going to be garbage..


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goosey-goosey Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm super sad when I read "super" used as an

> adverb.



Yes!!! Do you pronounce it with a "gee golly gee" gormless American accent whenever you read it? It's become such a commonly used little helper, especially in "youth" publications, social media etc.... These nachos are suuuper nice, just sayin', amirite?...

When articles quote percentage increases in something without actual numbers - i.e. "so and so is up 20% (yeah, but from an extremely low base, such that to be meaningless / statistically insignificant)".

miga Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> re: "Big State"...here's a handful from the

> quickest of googles, used as a phrase.

>

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cam

> eron/9171481/Brick-by-brick-were-tearing-down-the-

> big-state.html

> http://www.reform.uk/reformer/the-return-of-the-bi

> g-state-incomes-policy-and-the-trimmings/

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/9

> 559810/Douglas-Carswell-Bad-news-for-the-big-state

> .html

> http://www.jubilee-centre.org/all-in-this-together

> -the-big-state/

>

> Or do you mean that it never annoys you when you

> see this frequently used phrase?



No. I meant that those who bang on about big Pharma, big business, big etc seem to be anti-big apart from the state which they seem happy to run almost anything, dictate how we live our lives, think they know best how our money is spent etc. big is bad...apart from government where suddenly big transforms into efficient, benevolent, paternalistic, force of good and dictator of what's best for the likes of us

>>Yes!!! Do you pronounce it with a "gee golly gee" gormless American accent whenever you read it? It's become such a commonly used little helper, especially in "youth" publications, social media etc.... These nachos are suuuper nice, just sayin', amirite?...


It comes down to us living in an age where hyperbole rules...the most mundane singer is 'awesome', the most average talent is a 'genius', something sad is 'heartbreaking' and a crispy chemical-laden snack is 'super nice'. I can't work out whether it is because people can no longer distinguish between mediocrity and genius/great talent or it's just a lazy way of using a rich and varied language.

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> miga Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > re: "Big State"...here's a handful from the

> > quickest of googles, used as a phrase.

> >

> >

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cam

>

> >

> eron/9171481/Brick-by-brick-were-tearing-down-the-

>

> > big-state.html

> >

> http://www.reform.uk/reformer/the-return-of-the-bi

>

> > g-state-incomes-policy-and-the-trimmings/

> >

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/9

>

> >

> 559810/Douglas-Carswell-Bad-news-for-the-big-state

>

> > .html

> >

> http://www.jubilee-centre.org/all-in-this-together

>

> > -the-big-state/

> >

> > Or do you mean that it never annoys you when

> you

> > see this frequently used phrase?

>

>

> No. I meant that those who bang on about big

> Pharma, big business, big etc seem to be anti-big

> apart from the state which they seem happy to run

> almost anything, dictate how we live our lives,

> think they know best how our money is spent etc.

> big is bad...apart from government where suddenly

> big transforms into efficient, benevolent,

> paternalistic, force of good and dictator of

> what's best for the likes of us


Ah, I see. I guess I don't get wound up by ideas as much as oversimplification.


The way phrases like "big state" or "big pharma" are used isn't dissimilar. It's shorthand for a scary idea that cuts out a lot of thinking for a receptive audience. Fair enough, the audiences might be on different parts of the political spectrum, but the nuance killing phrases have a similar effect. For every time a naturopath rails against "big pharma", there's a died in the wool libertarian crying "statist". The trick, in my view, is to skip over the yellow press and CiF nonsense. Although I suppose it is nice to have one's prejudices confirmed, it's one of the pleasures of getting old.

tfwsoll Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >>Yes!!! Do you pronounce it with a "gee golly

> gee" gormless American accent whenever you read

> it? It's become such a commonly used little

> helper, especially in "youth" publications, social

> media etc.... These nachos are suuuper nice, just

> sayin', amirite?...

>

> It comes down to us living in an age where

> hyperbole rules...the most mundane singer is

> 'awesome', the most average talent is a 'genius',

> something sad is 'heartbreaking' and a crispy

> chemical-laden snack is 'super nice'. I can't

> work out whether it is because people can no

> longer distinguish between mediocrity and

> genius/great talent or it's just a lazy way of

> using a rich and varied language.


Yeah, probably hyperbole is a part of the picture. There's also the obligation people feel to be positive.

How can an accent be 'gormless'? It's an accent. Some may think your accent is 'gormless'. Gormless comment.Picking on Americans is a national pastime here. Don't think it's justified. Garbage in fact.

Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly. I didn't intend to describe the whole set of American accents as gormless sounding, but rather one particular gormless version of the same. Think Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl".


But thanks for being super defensive.

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