Misused Terms You're Sick of Seeing

[chikusho]

The use of "freedom of speech" as something other than the right of not getting persecuted by the government for things you've said.

People using "literally" as a synonym for "really" or "a lot". It's maddening, and English isn't even my first language.

The word literally can now literally mean "a lot", or any other kind of exaggeration. It's called hyperbole. The word has multiple meanings now, and all that can be done is really to deal with it.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/literally
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/literally
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally

 

[sumanoskae]

Objectification
People seem to think that expressing even remote sexual interest is tantamount to assault, unless you dress it up in insincere emotional bullshit about how much you love and respect the person you've never had so much as five minute conversation with.

When I say someone is pretty, I just mean that they're pretty, I'm not trying to convince them to come live in my fucking basement.

 

[sumanoskae]

For the cis-gendered part. You know what? I'm transgender, want me to call you normal? Fine then you can call me normal too. I'm not a wanker for using the term to describe people who aren't trans, and I'm not going to other my self for your privileged self importance. Cis-gender means you have a standard gender identity, but to call you normal means I'm actively abnormal, if you want me to force that on myself, you can go look someplace else.

For the second part? Sure let other people be offended at things you don't find offensive. But it's being anti-social to not at least try to understand why.

Not the topic you were discussing with the other guy, but I do have a question. Why do you want to be thought of as "Normal"? It's not even clear what the term means, and it's usually not considered a positive thing.

 

[Flashmanic]

Entitled
This has become this weird catch-all response to any form of criticism. Can we just stop doing that now? Can we?

I find a lot of these terms quickly become synonymous for 'I disagree!', or can be used -wrongly- whenever consumers ask for something.

I even saw people saying the people signing a petition for a PC port of Bloodborne were'entitled'. Like, yeah, how dare people ask for an opportunity to throw their money at a publisher in return for a product on their chosen platform, right?

 

[Lil_Rimmy]

Objectification
People seem to think that expressing even remote sexual interest is tantamount to assault, unless you dress it up in insincere emotional bullshit about how much you love and respect the person you've never had so much as five minute conversation with.

When I say someone is pretty, I just mean that they're pretty, I'm not trying to convince them to come live in my fucking basement.

NO, BUT BY SAYING THEY ARE PRETTY YOU ARE JUST REDUCING THAT BEAUTIFUL WOMAN OR MAN OR TORTOISE WITH A WONDERFUL PERSONALITY TO NOTHING BUT THEIR LOOKS! REALLY, YOU CISGEN WHITE ULTRA NEO NAZI HITLERIATES SHOULD KNOW THAT YOU MUST BE ABLE TO KNOW EVERY SINGLE FACET OF A PERSON BEFORE COMMENTING ON ANYTHING ABOUT THEM, WITH A LEAST 5 FEATURES LISTED AND NO ASSUMPTIONS BECAUSE EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD IS TELEPATHIC DIDN'T YOU KNOW?

Yeah. I agree.

OT:
Assumptions/Stereotypes/Tropes(sort of) = TERRIBLE THING TO DO OR ACT ON!

The idea that assumptions are bad. I'm sorry to say it, but the entire basis of human interaction is based off of assumptions. If I want to talk to a guy or gal and I see that they are wearing a snap back backwards with a way overstyled iPhone case they they are loudly playing rap and techno out of, I can assume that they probably won't want to sit and discuss the points and merits of Lord of the Flies with me (THEN AGAIN, WHO THE HELL WOULD?!?). However, if I rolled up with some sweet kicks and my own, better snapback, they'll likely have something in common with me that I could talk about. Then again, I could have been entirely wrong and they DO want to discuss literature, but it's far more likely that I would have more luck trying the obvious routes.

It's a basic standard for interacting with anyone you don't know. It's why what you wear, do, and act like matter a lot the first time you meet someone, because to them you are literally anyone until they see:
That you wear a halo shirt = likes gaming, but maybe just console?
Listening to music in while watching phone = probably surfing web, maybe could talk about music?
Say g'day mate! = AUSTRALIAN AS YA MOTHERS MUNT MATE!

It's our way of dealing with things unknown until we can actually learn more about them, so I hate it when people instantly consider that you stereotyped the dude bro smashing a can on his head to probably like things or hate things that stereotype like or hate, or when media might use a stereotype of something (say, the characters first scene is him laughing at some cartoons while eating pizza and smoking weed. Therefore, we the reader/watcher assume he will be a stoner type character).

While our assumptions MIGHT be completely wrong, we assume the most likely thing for the best chance of success, and if we get it wrong? "Nah mate, I'm not from Australia, I just talk like this."

PROBLEM FECKING SOLVED! Better than talking to a fucking whiteboard and having to assume nothing until you draw the goddamn picture.

 

[Twoflowers]

Not so much misused, but anyone who uses the term cis-gendered. You come across as nothing more than a complete wanker.

But it's an accurate technical term. Much like Cis- and Trans- isomers in chemistry. Though I think that's an outdated terminology.

Cis- and trans are still (correctly) used in nomenclature of transitionmetal complexes.

 

[Buffoon1980]

Not so much misused, but anyone who uses the term cis-gendered. You come across as nothing more than a complete wanker. Also people throwing around offended at anything online. As Stephen Fry said, so the fuck what if you are?

For the cis-gendered part. You know what? I'm transgender, want me to call you normal? Fine then you can call me normal too. I'm not a wanker for using the term to describe people who aren't trans, and I'm not going to other my self for your privileged self importance. Cis-gender means you have a standard gender identity, but to call you normal means I'm actively abnormal, if you want me to force that on myself, you can go look someplace else.

For the second part? Sure let other people be offended at things you don't find offensive. But it's being anti-social to not at least try to understand why.

Well said, especially the second part.

Anyhoo, the thing that gets me is the overwhelming trend for people to now say 'addicting' instead of 'addictive', and also 'deceiving' instead of 'deceptive'. I mean, 'looks can be deceiving'? Really? And yes, it is technically grammatically correct, but is it really what you mean? 'Addicting' isn't an adjective. 'This game is addicting me with its addictive gameplay' would make sense, despite being redundant, but I'd really wish we could just go back to saying a game is addictive.

 

[lionsprey]

The words Feminism Sexism and Racism. Holy shit are they abused. i would make a joke about how abused they are but any comparison would be highly inappropriate.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Not so much misused, but anyone who uses the term cis-gendered. You come across as nothing more than a complete wanker.

But it's an accurate technical term. Much like Cis- and Trans- isomers in chemistry. Though I think that's an outdated terminology.

Cis- and trans are still (correctly) used in nomenclature of transitionmetal complexes.

Oh cool. I only studied chemistry up to A2 level, and that was a few years ago now. Most of my knowledge is pretty hazy at this point.

 

[JoJo]

"Sealioning" A lot of people wrongly interpret this as just asking questions. No, sealioning is when one asks questions repeatedly to someone who has made clear they don't want to talk to you. The last part is key, nothing wrong with asking questions, what is wrong is repeatedly badgering someone after they've explicitly asked you to stop.

 

[SecondPrize]

Verse. Versing someone is having a poetry rap battle with them. Versus might sound similar, but that has never meant a word could be used interchangeably with another.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

When certain numbnuts get it into their heads that racism and sexism mean something different to the dictionary definition because gender studies said so and dictionaries are 8 kinds of -ist.

"Herteronormative". You mean straight you pompous ****.

"cisgender", otherwise known as "not transgender". And just the word "cis" is tinged with so much venom whenever I hear people say it.

Edit: I made this when very tired, yes I'm aware that one or two of them is just ranting against words in general.

Edit 2, since people didn't get edit 1, yes I'm aware my own definition of heteronormative is apparently wrong, which is why I made the first edit. I assumed that's what it meant since the only time I've ever heard it used was calling people who are straight, heteronormative.

 

[Thaluikhain]

___phobic
Newsflash, "phobia" means "fear of" which is not in fact equal to "hatred for" and no, the term sounding super catchy doesn't change that. I am an arachnophobe, I freeze up if I see a big spider crawling out of my bedsheets. That doesn't mean I hate spiders, I actually find them interesting to look at... from afar.

Phobia has that meaning, yes, but it's not the only meaning it has. Then there are people that argue that hatred is based on fear anyway.

 

[GabeZhul]

People saying 'SJW' and 'feminazi'. There is no situation in which you should say those words. Stop.

Um... They are insults (or in the case of SJW, used to be an insult until the target community started identifying with it). There is literally an infinite number of situations where they can be used to insult people, just like any other such words.

If you disagree with them because they are used as insults... well, tough luck. Insults are generally not something to you are supposed to agree with to begin with, so getting people to stop using them on such ground would be pretty much a stillborn effort.

 

[ForumSafari]

"Sealioning" A lot of people wrongly interpret this as just asking questions. No, sealioning is when one asks questions repeatedly to someone who has made clear they don't want to talk to you. The last part is key, nothing wrong with asking questions, what is wrong is repeatedly badgering someone after they've explicitly asked you to stop.

The problem with that is that a lot of these discussions are had in public and are aimed at convincing people of things, so refusing to answer questions and getting mad when someone repeatedly asks you to back your shit up is hugely unreasonable.

 

[Thaluikhain]

"Herteronormative". You mean straight you pompous ****.

Er, hetero means straight, the normative part change things somewhat.

"cisgender", otherwise known as "not transgender".

So? Why does that make it a bad word? Why not replace "straight" with "not LGB" by the same logic?

 

[Yan007]

Rape culture: The idea that we live in a rape culture is ridiculous. In a society where male students will be expelled immediately and found guilty until proven innocent, there is no such thing as a rape culture.

 

[JoJo]

"Sealioning" A lot of people wrongly interpret this as just asking questions. No, sealioning is when one asks questions repeatedly to someone who has made clear they don't want to talk to you. The last part is key, nothing wrong with asking questions, what is wrong is repeatedly badgering someone after they've explicitly asked you to stop.

The problem with that is that a lot of these discussions are had in public and are aimed at convincing people of things, so refusing to answer questions and getting mad when someone repeatedly asks you to back your shit up is hugely unreasonable.

No-one is obligated to talk to anyone, excepting under a court of law in certain circumstances, if someone doesn't want to talk to you then it's best just to leave them be rather than bugging them repeatedly. If they refuse to back up a statement, it's for everyone else to judge the accuracy of that statement.

 

[Piorn]

The only word that really bothers me when it's misused is "theory".
People like to pretend a theory is a hypothesis, i.e. something someone made up, "it's just a theory", but the term has a specific definition.
Theory can be validated through observation, generalizes the subject into patterns and rules, and can be used to make predictions for future occurences. It's the understanding of a topic, not just some idea someone whipped up on a lazy afternoon.
The scientific method is undoubtedly the most important invention of our time, and I can't stand it being slandered like that.