Thursday, 26 April 2012

The modern dictionary

The BBC looks at obscure words and the importance of keeping them alive.

I quite agree and here are a few that get too little usage today:  Chastity, duty, honour, courage, reverence, patriotism, liberty, freedom...

3 comments:

Ironmistress said...

Chastity: the excuse to verbally and socially abuse people who relate to sexuality in a natural way.

Duty: sense of loyality with someone who exploits you.

Honour: emotion which makes fathers to kill their daughtersn for being too independent-minded

Courage: emotion which makes one attempt to do things in a stupid way while there are sensible ways to do them

Reverence: concept of respecting something because of purely imaginary reasons

Patriotism: 1) the last refuge of a scoundrel
2) a lame excuse for the old men to send the young men to die because of their gender for some obscure reason

Liberty: the licence for the rich to exploit the poor

Freedom: the licence for the strong to exploit the weak

David said...

Ironmistress: Once again, I can only assume that you are making these vile statements for effect. Otherwise, since you claim to be a member of your country's armed forces, I would be compelled to point out to your ministry of defence that in their ranks is a woman who would spread her legs for any man, woman or beast; would abandon her duty without hesitation; dishonour her uniform without compunction; commit any blasphemy without blinking an eye; would run from battle laughing as her comrades perished; betray her country in an instant and happily serve any cause that would enslave her fellow man.

I do not accuse you of any of this. I merely point out that this is the conclusion from your remarks if taken at face value, which I do not.

Ironmistress said...

Let's say those definitions were out of Cynic's Dictionary.

I have pretty much contrary definitions to them, but our time is that of the cynicism and sheer immorality. The ideology of the Left is political correctness and the ideology of the Right is plutocracy. I attempted to find the defi9nitions which a jaded and cynical member of the Generation X who feels deceived by Capitalism and screwed by Socialism would give them.

I have served my tour of duty, yes. I even got honourable discharge. But the armed forces weren't for me. Too much BS. Yet I fully support those who serve.

And what you describe of the certain type of a soldier, those do exist. They are in only for the money and for the opportunity to bully and harass those in the weaker position.

Our time simply favours narcissists and psychopaths.