Tilting at windmills. Struggling with text speak.
"Of course we stan Simone Biles," I read in an article on Huff Post this morning. To understand what I'm reading, often I look up text speak in magazine and online articles.
"What does "stan" mean?" I looked up on Google.
According to Urban Dictionary, "stan" is a blend of the words "stalker" and "fan," and refers to someone who is overly obsessed with a celebrity.
Text speak is confusing and annoying. As a published author, I strive to communicate clearly.
"Is this the perfect EV for Chelan County?" is the title of a story from the local public utility district. What is an "EV"?
Feels like I'm tilting at windmills.
NOTE: Tilting is jousting. The expression 'tilting at windmills' derives from Cervantes' Don Quixote - first published in 1604, under the title "The Ingenious Knight of La Mancha." Don Quixote tried to right the wrongs in the world through acts of chivalry.
Your thoughts?
10
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
14 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.How are you tilting at windmills?
Possible portmanteau problems with chortle, smog or motel?
waitingforgodo
Level 8
June 10, 2021
0
It's a metaphor.
i love playing with words and stuff. its not like language is made to be preserved, it's there to do a job. to be a functional language it must be at least as plastic as its environment. get past the rules if you can. get with it or get over it y'all.
hankster
Level 9
June 9, 2021
0
I don't do text speak. I use full words, proper punctuation, and I'm slower than hell, but also clear as a bell.
HippieChick58
Level 9
June 9, 2021
2
We need more Sancho.
hankster
Level 9
June 9, 2021
1
yes we do, reallity upholding is a noble but unglamorous persuit. although the Don's struggle to reconcile internal reality with external ones may be nobler still. your thoughts? ................ on a related note, the Cisto Kid's loyal sidekick was named Pancho. only 3 first letters short of being/naming Sancho. yet despite the alphabetical proximity, Pancho's horse was named LOCO ( !! . symbolicly the oposite pole from cervante's side kick Saancho"s fidelity to the obviousness of common truth). what do we make of the 4 centuries old desparity between cervantes sophisticated musings over the interplay of truth with illusion, and the 20th century cowboy tv show that seems entirely pre occupied with farting, senseless laughter, and lots of gunplay?
0
Sometimes we have to invent words (or bend the meaning of old words) to communicate what the hell is going on in this rapidly changing world. But just making up to words to "be cute," doesn't impress me at all. And I have no shame asking people what they're talking about.
mischl
Level 8
June 9, 2021
3
The human story is the story of balancing the rate of change. Our liberal genes press us to innovate, create, improve... and our conservative genes regard change as unleashing the unfamiliar, annoying, and potentially dangerous. But together, that pair of traits inches us forward in the least chaotic way.
skado
Level 9
June 9, 2021
2
Flurble gloos blobble! (I completely agree! Our language is disappearing at a frightening rate.) Personally, I find our language beautiful and sometimes consider it a game to be played. Now, it's being torn apart, and the tatters are thrown in our face.
Holysocks
Level 8
June 9, 2021
4
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.