The "Annoying Phrase" Thread

[Dr Doran]

Fair enough, Doran. Yeah I don't know that it will ever get popular or anything. I don't really use it to convince other people to use it. I just use it myself and I saw it in "annoying" and I was like is it really THAT egregious?

I guess BCE/CE sometimes just comes off a little precious ... but ya know, "it's all good."

 

[Dr Doran]

Agreed. Jesus is arguably the most important/influential person in human history, even if one denies his divinity.

Yep. I'd say as far as influence goes, it's something like Confucius, Buddha, Alexander the Great, Augustus Caesar, Jesus, St. Paul, St. Augustine, Constantine, Mohammed, Newton, Marx, Darwin, Lenin, Stalin as the top 14, not in order of influence but chronologically.

And just why, does the "Current Era" happen to start at 1 CE? What happened then that supposedly transported us into another age, if not the birth of Jesus (although he was likely born c. 4-6 "BCE")? :eusa_doh:

Too late to recount everything now ... now that would be annoying!

 

[Carlisle Blues]

You don't have Holiday/Winter Parties where you are?

Sure it is the same parties with the same people. The names have change here do to pressure from various special interest groups that will not attend the party to begin with. The theory is if it is called a "Christmas", "Yule" or "Holiday" party to commemorate a fun time of year those groups that won't attend anyway will be offended...[huh]

 

[VintageVixie]

Q: How are things with you?

A: Fair to middlin'.

:eusa_doh:


FAIR TO MIDDLIN'??

Oh that annoys me.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Yep. The year formerly known as 371 BC (battle of Leuktra when the Spartans finally got their butts kicked but good by the Thebans) is the same year as 371 BCE.

The year formerly known as 14 AD (death of Augustus Caesar, accession of Tiberius) is the same year as 14 CE.

And the year formerly known as 2009 AD (first black US president) is the same year as 2009 CE.

The numbering system didn't change -- that would be too much of a hassle. (Besides, whomever you might wish to honor by renumbering ALL the years in his/her name might offend some future regime who declares him/her an enemy of the state, requiring a new stupid numbering system.)

They only changed (slightly) the names. But if you want to be a smartypants, you can always say "BCE? Doesn't that mean Before the Christian Era? And doesn't CE really mean Christian Era?"

What's next, renaming San Francisco to Francisco, San Diego to Diego, etc.? Reminds me of the Stalinist renaming of entire cities.

Again, I do not oppose the attempted rename of BC/AD to BCE/CE because I'm a Christian. I'm not. I oppose it because I think it's egregious and otiose. As well as silly.

Is this like the Artist formerly known as Prince?? Now that was confusing..

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

So confusing even he couldn't handle it. And if the whole idea was for people to stop referring to him as Prince, it was less than successful. He was still Prince, but with a pesky string of words attached.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

^^^

Publicity for an aging musical genius

 

[noonblueapples]

He was actually playing an elaborate joke on his record company; if "Prince" was signed to the contract, could another "artist" using a different name release records. During this period he also used other names and sometimes appeared in disguise. He ended up pretty much getting away with it.

 

[John in Covina]

I have a hard time when people use lots of acronyms that I am not familiar with, it is refered to as speaking in code to or in front of outsiders. It's often meant to make you feel stupid and the code talker feel superior.

"Your ABC has a DEF we need to FGH the IJK, I'll CC the LMN group so we can get a OPQ in here ASAP. Did you finished the RST for the UVW? They need it for the XYZ presentation." [huh] WTF? :eusa_doh:

 

[Carlisle Blues]

He was actually playing an elaborate joke on his record company; if "Prince" was signed to the contract, could another "artist" using a different name release records. During this period he also used other names and sometimes appeared in disguise. He ended up pretty much getting away with it.

It was no joke...

"The first step I have taken towards the ultimate goal of emancipation from the chains that bind me to Warner Bros. was to change my name from Prince to the Love Symbol. Prince is the name that my mother gave me at birth. Warner Bros. took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing tool to promote all of the music that I wrote. The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros... I was born Prince and did not want to adopt another conventional name. The only acceptable replacement for my name, and my identity, was the Love Symbol, a symbol with no pronunciation, that is a representation of me and what my music is about. This symbol is present in my work over the years; it is a concept that has evolved from my frustration; it is who I am. It is my name." Prince

He would be annoyed at the following phrase, "be careful what you ask for you may get it"... lol lol

 

[Carlisle Blues]

[huh] WTF? :eusa_doh:

John I understood everything you arote except for the above....[huh]

 

[Dr Doran]

I have a hard time when people use lots of acronyms that I am not familiar with, it is refered to as speaking in code to or in front of outsiders. It's often meant to make you feel stupid and the code talker feel superior.

"Your ABC has a DEF we need to FGH the IJK, I'll CC the LMN group so we can get a OPQ in here ASAP. Did you finished the RST for the UVW? They need it for the XYZ presentation." [huh] WTF? :eusa_doh:

The worst. People who use any specialized knowledge in front of people who are not in their specialized knowledge group are being at least moderately rude. The acronym thing adds absurdity to the rudeness. I also hate being at a party where two "hip" people my age (!) start talking about currently popular bands in front of myself and other people, often females, who don't know who these bands are -- instead of selecting a topic for converse in which most or all of the present persons can participate. Very, very rude.
Sometimes when I throw a party, if my colleagues are present they will start to talk among themselves about arcana and obscura of ancient history in front of my older friends. Very rude and requires (cheerful) correction.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I also hate being at a party where two "hip" people my age (!) start talking about currently popular bands in front of myself and other people, often females, who don't know who these bands are -- instead of selecting a topic for converse in which most or all of the present persons can participate. Very, very rude.

The appropriate response is to turn the discussion to a debate over the relative merits of the A&P Gypsies, the Ipana Troubadours, and the Clicquot Club Eskimoes. "Harry Reser, he was like a BANJO GOD, you dig?"

 

[Widebrim]

Yep. I'd say as far as influence goes, it's something like Confucius, Buddha, Alexander the Great, Augustus Caesar, Jesus, St. Paul, St. Augustine, Constantine, Mohammed, Newton, Marx, Darwin, Lenin, Stalin as the top 14, not in order of influence but chronologically.

You left out Hitler (perhaps sandwiched between Lenin and Stalin?), but then it was the top 14...By the way, when are you coming back to L.A. for a visit?

Lee

 

[Dr Doran]

You left out Hitler (perhaps sandwiched between Lenin and Stalin?), but then it was the top 14...By the way, when are you coming back to L.A. for a visit?

Lee

That was a lot of people killed, true: that's influential. But was the ideology influential? Personally, I don't think so. Kind of a flash in the pan. Plus, the ideology of fascism comes from Mussolini who was a fascist leader of Italy in 1922; Hitler was not appointed Chancellor of Germany until January 30, 1933. One can of course argue that the ideology wasn't all that important to his influence, and that it folded in rather seamlessly with general militarism, nativism, chauvinism, etc., but the racial crap was somewhat novel in the German example of fascism and wasn't developed in the earlier Italian version. So I'm not sure how influential Hitler really was. He had 6-12 million people killed, but that's not so many compared to circa 30 - 60 million by Stalin, and who knows how many by Mao. So yeah, I don't think he's as influential as Stalin who remade Eastern Europe for a long time, who successfully held the reins of an immense empire, for decades. Hitler was only influential for really 12 years.

I'll definitely inform you in advance when I come again. Meanwhile, why doesn't your avatar pic have that cool mustache you had when I saw you at Cicada?

 

[Dr Doran]

But back to our regularly scheduled programming. Does anyone hate "sho nuff" as much as I do?

 

[Wally_Hood]

Yep. The year formerly known as 371 BC (battle of Leuktra when the Spartans finally got their butts kicked but good by the Thebans) is the same year as 371 BCE.

The year formerly known as 14 AD (death of Augustus Caesar, accession of Tiberius) is the same year as 14 CE.

And the year formerly known as 2009 AD (first black US president) is the same year as 2009 CE.

The numbering system didn't change -- that would be too much of a hassle. (Besides, whomever you might wish to honor by renumbering ALL the years in his/her name might offend some future regime who declares him/her an enemy of the state, requiring a new stupid numbering system.)

They only changed (slightly) the names. But if you want to be a smartypants, you can always say "BCE? Doesn't that mean Before the Christian Era? And doesn't CE really mean Christian Era?"

What's next, renaming San Francisco to Francisco, San Diego to Diego, etc.? Reminds me of the Stalinist renaming of entire cities.

Again, I do not oppose the attempted rename of BC/AD to BCE/CE because I'm a Christian. I'm not. I oppose it because I think it's egregious and otiose. As well as silly.

At one time I thought I had read the BCE stood for Before the Common Era. I could be mistaken, though...

 

[Wally_Hood]

I always answer---NO! They go away looking like you are nuts but YOU actually just got rid of a nut.

If I'm feeling ridiculous, and I know the other person well, I respond to "How are you doing?" with "Doing what?"

NB: When youngsters and Hood children query "Can I (insert activity here)?" it is generally met by my "I don't know; can you?" Then I vamp until they say "Oh....May I (insert activity here)?"

 

[Widebrim]

That was a lot of people killed, true: that's influential. But was the ideology influential? Personally, I don't think so. Kind of a flash in the pan. Plus, the ideology of fascism comes from Mussolini who was a fascist leader of Italy in 1922; Hitler was not appointed Chancellor of Germany until January 30, 1933. One can of course argue that the ideology wasn't all that important to his influence, and that it folded in rather seamlessly with general militarism, nativism, chauvinism, etc., but the racial crap was somewhat novel in the German example of fascism and wasn't developed in the earlier Italian version. So I'm not sure how influential Hitler really was. He had 6-12 million people killed, but that's not so many compared to circa 30 - 60 million by Stalin, and who knows how many by Mao. So yeah, I don't think he's as influential as Stalin who remade Eastern Europe for a long time, who successfully held the reins of an immense empire, for decades. Hitler was only influential for really 12 years.

I'll definitely inform you in advance when I come again. Meanwhile, why doesn't your avatar pic have that cool mustache you had when I saw you at Cicada?

Well, even though his "reign" of terror lasted only 12 years, Hitler sure accomplished a ton of damage, including lighting the keg that started WWII, and I believe that his "influence" is being felt up to this day. In addition, if not for Hitler's raping of Europe, the reimaging of Eastern Europe, which was accomplished at Potsdam, wouldn't have happened. (And let us not forget that Nazism is still unfortunately with us, in various mutations.) But, I guess I've gotten fftopic:. (Is there a thread in the WWII forum where we can further discuss this?)

As to the mustache, I'm wearing it right now. The avatar is from JohnInCovina's Fall get-together from last year.

 

[Widebrim]

You go girl!

And, "This your girl." What in the heck does that really mean? You ain't my girl! And where is the verb in that sentence fragment, if you please?:eusa_doh: