Euphemisms?

Started by fugibo, October 16, 2009, 09:24:38 pm

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fugibo

I have a feeling of what the general consensus will be already, but I'm just wondering - what does the typical CP user think of euphemisms?

winkio

I really hope you mean euthanasia.  If not, you are just a stuck up prick who thinks hes smart because he knows advanced terms. 

And no, I didn't google it.  Other people are just as smart or smarter than you.  Always.

Starrodkirby86

Euphemisms are common in today's society. They're basically "sugaring" up something really negative to make it sound positive. For example, someone a mausoleum can be a "place where people are sleeping" or the mentally retarded being "special needs" or whatever...It's not really that advanced of a vocabulary word...I suppose.

That being said, it's ironic on how sometimes when euphemisms are used to replace a word with heavy negative connotation, society will eventually make that euphemism carry a big heavy one. That's really my only thing against it, but hey, that's just the general people. You can get really creative with these things, like figurative language, so that's a big plus~

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Blizzard

winkio, from your mouth to god's ear. I never heard of the term (because English is only my third language) and I googled it.

I think it's something invented by our society to balance out the other part of society which degrades people by calling them names for being different. Many people get complexes from stuff like this so using euphemisms is a way not to be mean and not to trigger these complexes. The part that includes other areas is probably for the better. We don't want kids running around shouting "fuck", "asshole" and stuff like that.
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Jalm

I had to write a persuasive essay on euthanasia in Grade 7. I wrote that I was for because it was easier.

As for euphemisms, they're important in prose and poetry. So I really don't think someone can really be "against" them.

...And who can forget the lovable double entendre?

RoseSkye

I had to give my bitch a euphemism, she was getting too old and the vet had to put her down.

fugibo

Quote from: winkio on October 16, 2009, 10:54:27 pm
I really hope you mean euthanasia.  If not, you are just a stuck up prick who thinks hes smart because he knows advanced terms. 

And no, I didn't google it.  Other people are just as smart or smarter than you.  Always.


I actually didn't think that this was that advanced, I thought it was fairly common knowledge (except for people like Blizzard who learned English as a second/third language).

winkio

Then my answer is euphemism is just like litotes.  They are both rhetorical devices and nobody really cares.

fugibo

Quote from: winkio on October 24, 2009, 11:21:50 am
Then my answer is euphemism is just like litotes.  They are both rhetorical devices and nobody really cares.


I definitely don't agree with that. They're completely different things - a litote is just a sarcastic way of saying something, while a euphemism is a replacement for a taboo.

winkio

no, euphemism is not a replacement for a taboo.  It's just a less provocative expression that replaces a possibly more provocative expression like kick the bucket is a euphemism for dying.  It's a rhetorical device used for a specific purpose when writing or speaking, so what?

Litotes (litote is not a word) is not just a sarcastic way of saying something.  It's also a rhetorical device used for a specific purpose when writing or speaking.

You want to give us any context to debate in, or are we just going to prove that fact that rhetorical devices do in fact exist?

Starrodkirby86

How about...

Is it right to use euphemisms when they can just be as painful as the phrase they're replacing?

Or whatever...I don't know. xD

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winkio

That's like arguing whether or not its right to use sarcasm, or whether or not we should use contractions.  Who cares, say what you want to how you want to.

fugibo

Quote from: winkio on October 24, 2009, 11:44:34 pm
That's like arguing whether or not its right to use sarcasm, or whether or not we should use contractions.  Who cares, say what you want to how you want to.


Well, I don't think this should be about the right to as much as the morals behind it or how much of a hypocrite it makes you; are you better off for using one, neutral, or even worse for pretending that the euphemism is any different? Depending on the context, the last one is a resounding "No," but for others...

winkio

ah okay.  So you mean like hiding behind a euphemism?  Sorta like political correctness?

fugibo

Quote from: winkio on October 24, 2009, 11:58:05 pm
ah okay.  So you mean like hiding behind a euphemism?  Sorta like political correctness?


See, "Political Correctness" is a euphemism for "Hypocrisy." :V

Lakieth

AS George Carlon said (i just finished one of his books SO...)




QuoteI don't like words that hide the truth. I don't words that conceal reality. I don't like euphemisms, or euphemistic language. And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Cause Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of a soft language to protest themselves from it, and it gets worse with every generation. For some reason, it just keeps getting worse. I'll give you an example of that. There's a condition in combat. Most people know about it. It's when a fighting person's nervous system has been stressed to it's absolute peak and maximum. Can't take anymore input. The nervous system has either (click) snapped or is about to snap. In the first world war, that condition was called shell shock. Simple, honest, direct language. Two syllables, shell shock. Almost sounds like the guns themselves. That was seventy years ago. Then a whole generation went by and the second world war came along and very same combat condition was called battle fatigue. Four syllables now. Takes a little longer to say. Doesn't seem to hurt as much. Fatigue is a nicer word than shock. Shell shock! Battle fatigue. Then we had the war in Korea, 1950. Madison avenue was riding high by that time, and the very same combat condition was called operational exhaustion. Hey, were up to eight syllables now! And the humanity has been squeezed completely out of the phrase. It's totally sterile now. Operational exhaustion. Sounds like something that might happen to your car. Then of course, came the war in Viet Nam, which has only been over for about sixteen or seventeen years, and thanks to the lies and deceits surrounding that war, I guess it's no surprise that the very same condition was called post-traumatic stress disorder. Still eight syllables, but we've added a hyphen! And the pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-traumatic stress disorder. I'll bet you if we'd of still been calling it shell shock, some of those Viet Nam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time. I'll betcha. I'll betcha.












I bet people wont read this But since this  is a intellectual debate....