RANT about words.

[Bedeekin]

I thought I'd have a rant.

As I have gotten older I have realised that certain words are now being over used and taken out of context. Some that are generally new have already morphed into other meanings. I'm not a Grammar NAZI in the slightest, I just find that these words are used to somehow back up claims and put points across.. and are therefor are important enough to moan about.

RESEARCH

"a studious inquiry or examination; especially  : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws"

It doesn't mean

"Sitting on your backside flicking through loads of dubious websites and Youtube videos looking for information that suits your agenda"

While research is basically 'data gathering' it also includes the above example. the problem is that when data gathering by clicking on websites that have other peoples research based upon someone else's data it ceases to be actual research... but more of finding what you were looking for. The internet is so rife with rubbish and opinionated articles that usually run off one dubious source you could find anything you want; someone will have written about it. In future... if anyone says to me 'I know... I've researched it... and post a couple of links to websites or Youtube videos... I will ignore them. Usually when I want to find out that person is giving over valid information I wont just watch what they send me... I will try to understand as much as I can from both sides of the fence. I will form an opinion based upon what I find. If I am interested in the subject and really want to research it.. I will actually get away from my laptop and go to the library... maybe attempt to contact some people who know... find specialists.... etc.

As far as the subject of APing is concerned... you haven't truly researched it until you have practiced it. Research on this topic includes practicable application of information. Other than reading every book there is to read about it... that is all you have done.. read about it extensively.

TROLLING

The origin of the word trolling has nothing to do with the big hairy guy who lives under bridges and picks on goats. It actually refers to a fishing term:

"Trolling is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water."

Basically it is all about baiting people and gathering a host of people to get upset or wound up by being contrary to their opinion.

It doesn't mean disagreeing, arguing or correcting someone.

Another term or use of words actually turns me off a subject that would otherwise be tolerable to contemplate. These are:

SHEEPLE and WAKE UP

usually used like this:

"All of the deniers are paid shills, programmed bots or ignorant sheeple that are easily frightened by the truth. WAKE UP"

I don't even know where to start on this one.

For a start most of the people that say this are deeply passionate about conspiracies of some kind. They are usually referred to as 'tin hatters'. The demographic seems to be young people or teens who are unfortunately trying to come to terms with a disenfranchised world that appears to hold no future for them. They see rich, successful and happy people as 'the enemy and part of the system' and are seemingly WANTING and dreaming about some sort of world collapse so that those rich, successful and happy people are brought down to their level. For this reason I can just pity them and have empathy for them... I myself was once a disenfranchised young person who believed anything that lifted me out of this world of stark and boring reality. I then got a life and successful career... put a lot of hard work into this. Guess what? Suddenly I was lifted out of my own self pity and began to LIVE.

Using the terms 'Sheeple' and 'wake up' are actually demeaning terms that give the truther a way of lifting themselves above the average person... as though they are part of a select group of awakened individuals that are a head above the rest. In fact they are just frightened at the randomness of cold reality and need a fantasy to lift them away from their externalised world by internalising it so that it meets their egotistical needs.

Sheeple can be easily changed to 'Sinners' or 'enemies'.

[Astralzombie]

Nowadays research just means ripping off an idea from someone else.

With the internet and texting, ideas catch on and spread around the world in hours. I bet it was cool to only hear bad news every few months.


See that? One reply and your topic has already been morphed.

[Szaxx]

Where are the orcs, where are the orcs?
Oh, wrong kind of troll.
Now its morphed and trolled on.
Watcha goina do?
This'll be interesting a moderator moderating a moderator.

It's all in the interest of research.
Rofl.

[Bedeekin]

Modermoderaterering.

I swear Ima gonna come round your f%^$&g House you Mother$$&%*g %&&$ with a b&%*$d in the %%*$)£ and stick the ££$^&* in it with a hamster. WAKE UP £$*&.

[Stillwater]

lol.

I always thought the two readings of "trolling" were a fortunate accident- one describes the action, and the other describes the perception of the individual taking the action, lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVlDSzbrH5M

It is sort of funny to think that Billy Joel is of course using the traditional meaning (1:45 ; / tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis / but I still have my hand on the wheel / ), but then to read how it sounds with the internet version haha.

-----------------

The one I think is funny is "begs the question", which only means to argue in a circular fashion, assuming the conclusion in the premise.

For instance, If I said, "I need to go to the store to get some nails, and I need to get some nails so I can go to the store, and the reason I need to go to the store in the first place is to get nails", then you could say I was begging the question, because my conclusion is that I need to go to the store because of the nails in the first place.

Or also if I said, "I need to apply conditioner to my hair, to have hair so good it should be conditioned", that is clearly begging the question. Beg also literally means to evade, and so by offering my reason for doing something is to need to do the thing itself, I am evading providing a proper answer.

Because very few people can grasp the fallacy of circular logic well enough to actually understand what this phrase should mean, they instead use it as they suppose it means:

"He is telling us everything he knows about the icecream theft, except who stole the icecream. He is begging the question (to be asked)." This usage of course has nothing to do with the real meaning, and yet is the only way the phrase is used today, haha. It is related to the literal meaning of beg as evade, but misses the idea of the idiom of cicular reasoning entirely.

[Bedeekin]

So true. I use it in the latter in a way... maybe I don't. I would use it thus:

"If OOBEs are a total figment of the mind and they can replicate reality in every detail... then it begs the question; what is reality?"

Ooh.. hang on.. I use it properly.