Related to the previous post: Sometimes in a comment thread a person will claim that the writer or some of the commenters are "racist" because they believe there are measurable differences among races. If one goes browsing around the online dictionaries, there is some diversity of definition, with one requiring that race be the primary determinant of some characteristic while another only mentions race as one factor. Some definitions lean heavily on included meanings of superiority and inferiority. One dictionary goes so far as to label any belief in differences in races at all as "racism."
It is often hard to be precise. Yet surely one requirement must be that all uses of letters in the same order cannot be interchangeable in every setting. If that were so, I would be congratulating my patients on their good fortune when I tell them they have outstanding charges.
Did you hear about the famous farmer?
ReplyDeleteHe was outstanding in his field.
"One dictionary goes so far as to label any belief in differences in races at all as "racism." " And differences between the sexes is sexism. The "Vee Arrrre All Ze ZAME" crowd can't cope with differences. They hate diversity in practice, though they claim to put diversity on the highest pedestal (which, of course, is not the same as all others).
ReplyDelete"If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success."
ReplyDelete