Klarinet Archive - Posting 000883.txt from 2001/05

From: Shouryunus Sarcasticii <jnohe@-----.Edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Biting?
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 10:34:15 -0400

On Wed, 30 May 2001, Tony Wakefield wrote:

> S.S.
>
> Please tell us, is this your real name?

No. My real name is always included every post, still. I sign it at the
bottom.

> >The words bite/eat/suck/blow
> > are kind of interchangable, used to toss out insults ("Bite me," etc) or
> > to denote that something is not cool. ("That parking ticket was HOW much?
> > Wow, that bites.")
>
> How on earth is anybody outside America going to understand this. I will
> withdraw if you can say honestly that you agree.
> But I`m pleased that you know how to use them.

I was not aware that this was an America-only euphemism. My question
is...how am I supposed to know if it is or isn't? I could certainly refer
back to the six years I spent in Bicester to see if I could remember
anyone using them...but since that was from '80-'86, it's kind of
pointless. That's my whole point here - I really don't feel I should have
to comb through each and every word I say to see if it is understandable.
Part of the reason for this is that I consider Klarinet to be more of an
intellectual hang-out...sort of a pub or a coffee shop if you will (I'm
sure you still call bars pubs). It's just discourse between colleauges
and friends (with the occasional barfight). So I talk here as if I were
in the same situation.

I CAN filter through my posts...but it's like writing a term paper
everytime. Then it's not hanging out with my friends, it's like being in
class, which is what I use email and the' net (including this forum) to
escape from. When I'm hanging out with my friends IRL, if I make a pun or
a joke and one of them doesn't get it, they'll ask, and I explain. It's
not like occurs on a daily basis with them or on Klarinet, and so I don't
think it's that big of a problem. Offhand, in the three years that I've
been on Klarinet, this is the second time I've had to explain a joke or a
pun.

> This is a childish comment. I <do> spend time, and into the bargain
> contribute quite well I reckon.

Well, I'm glad you have the time to do so. I'm busy either studying,
working at my job, or practicing my brains out in order to be half the
clarinetist you and most of the other people on the list are. While I
appreciate your effort, I haven't heard enough complaints about my posts
to justify changing the way I write, and taking up more of the time I
could be using to practice.

I truly am sorry, Tony...but there are a billon works for clarinet out
there that I read about in this list everyday that I haven't played
yet...and I'd rather spend my time reading over THEM three or four times
than reading over my own posts three or four times to ensure that I've
ommitted every single metaphor.

> Come on now, you know very well that we have to try to accomodate everyone.
> That means accommodating you too S.S., So do you not agree therefore that
> our own idiosyncrasies have to take a back seat somewhat?

Believe me, my idiosyncrasies are very much in the back seat when I'm
posting on the list. Any of the other NMSU students on the list (I'm the
only one who'll actually post these days, it seems) will tell you that I'm
almost relatively normal here. Face to face, I'm just a big ball of
trouble. *grin*

Like I said before...this is ONE incident we're talking about. If this is
happening EVERYTIME I post, THEN we have a problem, and I would
be more inclined to do something (actually I would just cut down on my
posting, since, as I said before...I don't have time to spare). However,
if this WAS a problem EVERY single time I post, then why haven't I been
getting a reply every time I post asking me to explain?

> And if I have a problem with American English S.S., where else am I able to
> "take it up" other than with America.

My point, when I made that statement, was that this is NOT the place to do
so, in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to English, I
don't think American English is any better than the Queen's English, and I
personally think it's a preposterous idea to believe so. The same goes
for vice versa. If you're going to have some campaign against American
English, this isn't the place for it.

> The book by the way was only a very tiny one - - - - - my reprimand was only
> a "dig in the ribs" with a :<) - is that phrase OK?

Ah...the ever problematic problem with email...how do I read that this was
supposed to be a dig in the ribs? It looked very much like a serious
matter from your side. I assume to mean that you are taking this whole
thing lightly...but we went from I-Don't-Get-It to
American-English-Should-Be-Eliminated-From-Klarinet. Something small
ballooned into something much larger in one post, and I was supposed to
take that as a dig in the ribs? Guess I misunderstood completely...

Miscommunication will happen...regardless of metaphors and slang...maybe
one day we'll all develop telepathy and the problem will solved. *grin*

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SarCaSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"Never put passion before principle. Even when win, you lose."
-Miyagi-san, KKpt.II

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