A really silly insult

Prior to 2016, a common epithet online used against left-leaning people (or those perceived to be left-leaning) was "libtard". The insult is still used, despite losing ground to other "debate" tactics, but I want to discuss why it's a completely silly term.

First off, the "-tard" part is clearly taken from the word "retarded", which is itself a slur. The implication is that people with left-leaning perspectives are mentally challenged. I don't think I need to explain why it's offensive.

Where the insult is silly lies in the phonetics and spelling. The attack also comes from the word "liberal". There's just one problem: There is no "T" in "liberal" - "libtard" makes zero sense as a result. If anything, the way it's spelled it's more of an attack against libertarians, as there is a T in that word. If anyone wants to confuse a person who cries "libtard", ask what libertarians have to do with the discussion.

In the past year, however, "libtard" has lost out to alt-right (white supremacist) phrases such as "Are you triggered?", "Do you need a safe space?" and "Stop being so sensitive", which are awful (and downright annoying) for other reasons. It's still being used, of course, and anyone who blurts it is often laughed at for being a fool.

Mocking a non-native speaker

I posted this to Facebook earlier:

"It is inappropriate and unfair to be angry with or mock someone who doesn't speak English as their first language and thus, occasionally makes an error or has to research a word or two or more while communicating. Such a person has taken the time to learn the language; the correct course of action is to help them if they desire help rather than moan at them for not being able to speak it properly. They want to learn! Can't ask for more than that."

I followed it up by saying that I was in no position to be a critic of a non-native speaker of English given that I only know a small amount of another language and all that knowledge comes from a computer game.

English? It's a bargain

I posted this to Facebook earlier:

"I encountered *another* British English vs. American English 'debate'. I've concluded that the best response to the claim that non-British variants of English are 'butchering' the language is to note how many people want to speak English.

Many countries, including ancients such as China and Iran, encourage English as a second language to help their citizens succeed globally. If the 'cost' to Britain is each country crafting its own variant(s), thus creating a 'unifying' language, that's not a butchering - that's a bargain. The diversity of English should be embraced not eschewed; equally, my hope is that other countries' native languages do not lose their influences, as they are in far more danger than English will ever face."

Fighting over whether or not "color" should have a U, if "Z" should be pronounced "zed" or if "pants" is interchangeable with "trousers" is petty and pointless in the long run.

English variation clarification

In my previous post, I posted a picture of a restaurant menu that I said featured both American and British English. My friend and fellow blogger Jessica asked if the American English was at the bottom of the menu. The answer? Yes, it was.

In the top-right corner of the menu,  the word "takeaway" is present, which is the British version of the term "take-out"; however, at the bottom, the menu proceeds to use the term "take-out". Quite interesting, don't you think?

The accent

I received a powerful compliment this afternoon. I was introduced to a new neighbour; after talking to them for a short time they said the following:

"You have an American accent!"

It was not said with any sort of hostility; rather, it was said with enthusiastic surprise, as the person expected me to speak with a much stronger British accent. I thanked them in a tone that clearly displayed my pleasure at their statement.

I know I do have a British accent, but it's not that strong and, unsurprisingly, I frequently speak in American English and use American terms despite writing in British English. I consider it a compliment when someone notices that my accent is different; I was having a fairly miserable day until that moment.

Britishisms in America

This is a fascinating piece that I read on the BBC this morning; it's about the increasing amount of British terminology being used in the United States. I'm so used to hearing about Americanisms being used in the United Kingdom that I rarely think about the reverse:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249

I have heard Americans use some of the words listed there: "autumn", "holiday", "roundabout", "cheers" and "mate" are a few that spring to mind. While they're not mentioned on the list, I have also heard Americans use the word "bugger" and the term "see you": a "bugger" is normally an irritant ("building that fence was a bugger!") or a playful insult ("she's a clever bugger!"), although it does have a more vulgar meaning, too. "See you" is a common British term for goodbye.

On a similar note, I would like to see an article covering Americans adopting British pronunciations. There are several American pronunciations that are taking hold over here (most people under forty use the American pronunciations of "lieutenant" and "schedule", and the ones who don't are normally being pretentious), but I've yet to read anything about the opposite. If British terms are being used in the United States then there's a good chance British pronunciations are as well.

Two definitions of "pet peeve"

A "pet peeve" is something that we personally find extremely annoying but other people often aren't bothered (as much) by. Normally a pet peeve involves something small such as fingernail biting, ear scratching, or lolspeak. As far as I've always known somebody can have multiple pet peeves, as "pet" in this instance means to me as "unique to a person"; for example, a pet peeve of mine is when someone is eating down my ear, and another pet peeve is when someone types "a men/women" when the grammar should be "a man/woman".

When reading a forum today I saw a person discuss one of their "biggest pet peeves", and they were corrected by other forum members saying that a "pet peeve" is a person's biggest peeve: to them it was redundant to say "biggest pet peeve". This contradicted my long-held understanding of "pet peeve", as I defined above; when I Googled the term the general consensus among the websites I viewed supported my interpretation, although a couple of other sites supported the other view.

Do you have pet peeves and a biggest pet peeve, or just peeves and a pet peeve? I can certainly understand the other interpretation and where the redundancy comes from, but I'm curious to hear more opinions given that I had never heard of or thought about it until today.

On profanity

The use of profanity is widespread nowadays: it is prevalent in music, television/movies, and everyday conversation (although it is often censored in the first two mediums). On average, I hear at least one instance of uncensored profanity per day, but if I include filtered uses (bleeps and "silenced out" segments of speech), it probably increases to four or five; it is higher still if I add minced oaths to the mix. However, for the purposes of this post, the definition of "profanity" will only include the word used to describe excrement, and any word considered more vulgar.

How does the use of profanity affect me? Not very much, as I do not get offended when someone does use "rude" words; it used to years ago, but not anymore. Without wanting to sound smug or superior, I rarely-to-never use these words in conversation myself (it is not a matter of wanting to be "better" than others...I simply have no need to swear), but it is not up to me to decide whether other people use them; and unless I am in a place where such language would be completely unacceptable and/or unnecessary, I would not scold anyone for their use of them either. As an example, if someone posted a comment to my blog that contained profanity, I would not reject it on that basis alone: it would be other factors that would decide whether I choose to accept it or not (such as if it was a comment intended purely to troll my readers and/or I, or just outright attacks another commenter).

This being said, I do consider it annoying when someone constantly swears every few words. I can understand the "frequently occasional" use of profanity as a description, an action, or a mark of frustration, but hearing it every few seconds does rapidly become boring: I am not offended, just bored from too much it. In all fairness, it does depend on the context and delivery of the language: there are a couple of comedians I can immediately think of who do use a lot of profanity in their routines, but their accurate delivery of the words combined with the fact that they are using them in comedy makes them funny rather than tedious. I should note, however, that comedy or "I was only joking" should not be used as a cover for blatantly insulting/attacking language.

I mentioned recently that Auto-Tune is something that should be used in moderation. I think that same principle can be applied to profanity, although I would also add that both context and "knowing your audience" are something else to keep in mind when using such language.