Re: Pet Peeves

[Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>]

Gordon McLean wrote:
> "rule of thumb"?
>
> I'm genuinely curious as to why this is either sexist or racist. Yes I
> wouldn't use it in documentation but... No someone smarter than me will need
> to point out why that statement is 'bad'.
>   


Wikipedia discusses a possible origin of the phrase that has roots in 
domestic violence. That article discounts that interpretation, but the 
fact that it mentions it demonstrates that, in a descriptive sense, it 
does exist in the language, for whatever reason.
> (I'm presuming dog and pony show is insulting rather than sexist or racist?
> But I'm not THAT sure why..)
>   


I think this is sometimes used in a sexually suggestive sense by analogy 
to Tijuana pony show. A dog and pony show, where it doesn't carry a 
Tijuana context, is pretty harmless.


I once reviewed a piece of software and referred to it as 'a piece of 
work' in an email to a couple of bosses. One of them came down hard on 
me for using coarse language. He was amazed to learn that I was not 
calling the product a POS.


Anyway, Dori's right. There's a lot of lash in the line for language. In 
so many ways, it is just noise, the whitewater on the stream of 
conciousness. It tends to have regional and individual interpretations 
that one needs to be aware of.


Ned Bedinger
doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com





> Yours in curiosity,
>
> Gordon
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+gordon -dot- mclean=grahamtechnology -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+gordon -dot- mclean=grahamtechnology -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
> om] On Behalf Of Dori Green
> Sent: 13 March 2007 14:41
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Pet Peeves
>
> Everybody who makes their living using language really should take it upon
> themselves to become informed about sexist and racist language, and delete
> it from their vocabulary.
>
>   

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