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Riled Up by Language

39 Comments

Yesterday I got all worked up (again) when “pescatarian” defined as a vegetarian who eat fish. If you eat fish you are not any kind of vegetarian.

So I was happy to read this footnote in Death From the Skies by astronomer Phil Plait:

“One of the best ways to tick off an astronomer – and it can be fun sometimes just to see how he reacts – is to mix up the terms meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite.  The very best way to tick off an astronomer is to call him an astrologer.”

Guess I’m not the only one who gets riled up by language.

What are you NOT?

39 thoughts on “Riled Up by Language”

  1. vegan,
    pj asked yesterday why i use fake cheese if i am not a vegan and it is simply because lactose messed with me.
    50 years ago when i decided to become a veggie i had to decide what kind. milk and eggs got left in and i chose to allow animal imprisonment but not killing them. after seeing the conditions in an egg producing factory where they turn the lights on and off3 or 4 times a day do the chickens think the day changed and produce more eggs but have their lives shortened by accelerated process

    i was pleased to learn that my daughter who turned veggie last year (17) has chosen to include leather in her list of things to abstain from

    vegans who follow to the letter of the law also don’t do wool. i like wool .

    i remember going to the mud pie vegetarian restaurant where vegan was first introduced to me and i was impressed with how boring everything tasted. it may have just been the chefs choice (or lack there of ) of spices but i thought every thing tasted gray with no milk butter eggs or cheese.

    it is a challenge for me to avoid gluten and dairy because i like the inclusion of bread in my life and i love cheese. fake cheese is good food but it not cheese. cheese feels artisan. fake cheeses not do much.
    i’m trying sourdough and ancient grains to deal with gluten but i’m not ready to proclaim myself vegan.

    i think vs the fish eating veggies are about health not life. i’ve head of veggies that do fish and poultry

    i could be a leather abstainer with a gentle nudge but i am a shoes guy and non leather belts kind of suck. but i would consider it because it’s right. i hate it when it’s right but hard but that’s part of the deal too.

    i hear some astrological stuff is coming up with a super moon and lunar eclipse in the near future. whoops astronomy…

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    1. Sorry tim.. with almost 50 years of vegetarianism under my belt, this is an area I feel so strongly about. If you eat fish and/ or poultry you are not in any way shape or form a vegetarian. I don’t care what anybody says. That’s where I’m drawing my proverbial line.

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      2. I am not a good employee
        I am told people that I am a great worker and I may wow the heck out of you but if you turn me into an employee it’s a problem because I won’t do things that the employees are supposed to do very well

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  2. A bigot. Yesterday it was my lpleasure to kick a real one off the job I’m running. I was informed of his coming to me by expressions such as “Steve (real name) is an old guy… like you.” To which I responded, “That could be a bad thing.” Not the age, mind you, but being stubborn about doing things the way he wants. I was spot on. He was difficult to persuade that my methods work well. Especially was that the case in getting along with the other trades. Steve caused unnecessary problems that I smoothed over until yesterday. The day before I was not on site, and coming in yesterday had no inkling of what had transpired in my absence. Everything seemed normal until I got a call from the general contractor informing me of an incident that included Steve’s screaming “Go back to Mexico! We clean up our shit here in America”! My interview of multiple witnesses confirmed the facts and that the rant went on for ten minutes. I confronted Steve and told him to pack up and leave. The company backed me up. I can deal with dickish people but not bigots.

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    5. Way to go Wessew.

      When our theater kids start talking with us about life and careers, one of the things we always tell them is “Don’t be an A-hole”. But also, learning how to deal with them is also big. You handle that well Wessew; didn’t make assumptions, collected the facts, and then dealt with it.
      Thank you.

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      1. On this job, there are two apprentices. Earlier this week we had a discussion about the different methods used by Steve and me to install flooring. I explained that as the leader I could demand things be done exactly my way but it was best to choose wisely “what hill you want to die on”. Hence, as long as the project looks good and time isn’t being wasted allow for other procedures. But when insisting on your way always dignify the other person. In fact, I told the two guys that respect for others was “Flooring Installation 101.”
        Having had that conversation made the firing decision much easier.

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  3. I am not amused by people from eastern ND who can’t seem to figure out that western ND is in a different time zone. I am hosting a meeting today for the regulatory board I serve on, and someone from the Red River valley is all in a dither because he can’t understand what time the meeting starts. 11:45 mountain and 12:45 central are the same time. He just can’t figure out what time he should be here.

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  4. What I am not is a hater. That sets me apart from many folks, for it seems to me that hating has been elevated to the status of a hobby for many people. I claim no credit for not hating. Selfishly, hating is corrosive to the hater, which is just the first of many reasons I don’t indulge in it.

    The ultimate proof of my inability (or reluctance) to hate is the current president. He is the ultimate threat to every value I cherish, someone who is as dangerous as he is disgusting. He is the most loathsome human being I’ve known. Just typing his name makes me feel unclean. And yet I refuse to hate him. Sometimes I even pity him, for he is the ultimate victim of his own twisted psychology. Just as I don’t hate the people who have done me wrong in the past, I don’t hate him.

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    1. I’m with you, Steve. Hating takes way too much time and energy to be worth it. Plus, I have to believe that spending one’s day hating puts one in a lousy mood. I’d rather enjoy my brief time of consciousness in this universe since I won’t matter a whit to anyone or anything in a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand or a million years. 🙂

      Chris in Owatonna

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  6. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    I am not sleeping well
    I am not a DJT supporter nor I am happy about his woes because he actions cause all of us to suffer
    I am not in Minnesota
    I am not sure what else to say but I will think of more.

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      1. I used to hate sports and even held a grudge against athletes. I was persuaded to change that view by (of all people) Garrison Keillor. If anyone wants to repeat that experiment, I have advice. You’ll probably regret it if you become a fan of the MN Twins, the MN Vikings or the MN Timberwolves. Embrace those teams at your own peril!

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        1. I’m only a Twins fan and I believe you. Thank goodness I don’t care about the other sports or I’d have a lot more anguish during the year.

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        3. BiR, Garrison used to edit and write for a publication he created at the U of MN when he and I were in grad school. It was called The Ivory Tower, and it looked like a literary review. It was a monthly publication of the MN Daily student newspaper. Garrison chipped in a lot of his own writing. When I showed up in grad school in 1964 I was struck by his writing.

          He ran a story about hockey. I was astonished that a literature guy would write about sports, for I assumed he hated sports as much as I. The article described the poetry and skill of hockey when it is played well. I realized that my dislike of athletes was petty, just as my scorn for all athletic events was more of a judgement against me than them. That one article convinced me to see athletic contests with a more sympathetic eye, and I’ve never regretted that.

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      1. Well, that is one difference. Psychologists give lots of tests and diagnose and do psychotherapy. Psychiatrists, particularly those in the midwest, mainly prescribe meds and hospitalize and diagnose. Psychiatrists go to medical school. Psychologists have PhD’s or PsyD’s or, in some states, Masters degrees.

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  12. I am NOT:

    * an extrovert
    * a wife or mother (but a hell of an aunt/great aunt)
    * a good conversationalist
    * OCD – merely a neatnik
    * a vegetarian or vegan – however, I eat very little meat anymore
    * a slave to fashion
    * a bigot (at least, I hope so!)
    * a complete slave to technology
    * content to stay close to home

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  13. I’m having a hard time defining myself in terms of what I’m not. That’s simply not how I think of myself.

    There’s lot’s of things I don’t do, but I tend to think in terms of what I do do.
    I’m not a criminal, petty or otherwise. But I AM an immigrant.
    I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan. I eat what I consider a sustainable diet. My meat is locally sourced, responsibly, and humanely raised. I’m unable to justify eating meat, nor do I try to. If I had to kill my own meat, I’d probably not. On the other hand I’ve caught lots of fish and eaten them without regret or apology.
    I’m not a genius. I am a reasonably intelligent human being who has learned critical thinking.
    I’m not a hater, but I am what you might consider a passionate and compassionate person.
    In other words: I’m a sinner. Far from perfect, but doing the best that I can. And that is the best that any of us can do.

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