Comments on: Words are a liquid currency which can be tuned with your mind

By: 2B Aeon

2B Aeon — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:16:45 +0000

"It continues to stupify me how certain combinations of letters are so offensive, whereas misspelling them slightly doesn't count as foul language — I can relate, because my bro and I did things like that too!"

HA HA HA This is so strange that I should run across this post. I just watched the movie 'Dickie Roberts;Child Star' There was an offencive phrase in that movie that I could not understand why it appears funnny.

You make it quite clear what happens.

Such a small event to show me you have much to teach me.

By: Torley

Torley — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:35:04 +0000

@Fubarskine: Yes! And like artificial, human-created money, words are not useful if they don't mean something to both (or more) parties involved in an exchange. We agree about meanings and value to imbue them with worth.

@Dedric: It continues to stupify me how certain combinations of letters are so offensive, whereas misspelling them slightly doesn't count as foul language — I can relate, because my bro and I did things like that too!

By: Dedric Mauriac

Dedric Mauriac — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:54:31 +0000

This brings back some interesting childhood memories. My brother and I came up with some words to represent foul language. It was funny for a day when we tried to use the replacements and our sisters were not in on the joke. Now a days, it is an inside joke that we bring up every few years to reminisce the good old days.

Of course, when you are in the heat of the moment, you simply don't "think" of how to encode what you want to say and just go by what you already know.

By: Fubarskine

Fubarskine — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:07:53 +0000

Really interesting thoughts, love the Philip K. Dick quote. If definition moves meaning then the rule of people believing what they want to believe, projecting their own definitions onto words as they read or hear them, has to apply too. Once that mindset is fixed, it can be difficult to shift, which is where the real battleground for meaning is found.

Reminds me of the excellent "Toxic sludge is good for you" book. Controlling the meaning of words.