User:Tene/Confusingwords

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Revision as of 19:59, 2 September 2009 by Tene (talk | contribs) (Darn it, this is becoming common -.-)
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"Conservatives": You can now call me a filthy liberal if you wish. If you do, the chances are that you're not conservative, however.

Adjective as noun (free thought)

My "good", my "bad", whatnot.... basically every purposefully apathetic Americanism under the Sun. My mistake. Mistake is a noun, bad is an adjective.

Similarly, contrary to popular American belief, noun is not a synonym for verb.

Consumer (free thought)

With it, you're enforcing the ideology (dare I call it that?) of producerism and consumerism - an over-reduced model of unthinking people eating goods equated with abstract fodder. As such, "person" is usually an adequate word and "people" for plural use.

Content (free thought)

If you think music is some completely replaceable non-art that has so little value, then you're not welcome here. Find a hobby in material industry or something.

If you're just using it as a synonym for information, then use the term "information" or "data" instead. Don't apply the over-reduced, materialistic ideology of consumerism to the field of information.

If you're instead equivocating art or information with contentedness, then you're opinionated. So likewise, find another pasttime.

Copy protection (free thought)

A misnomer, used for an appeal to emotion by those who profit by government granted idea or implementation monopolies. What you really mean is "copy prevention", since you mean something that prevents the act of copying, not protects it.

Create, creators, creation (free thought)

These words are used by those who want to appeal to emotion, typically those who stand to gain most from extended or infinite copyright. An omnipotent "creator" is after all, far over an unthinking "consumer", is it not? What you really mean is "writer", "composer" or more typically "copyright holder", write, compose, writing, composing etc.

Extract(ed) (technical language)

With the current state of media manipulation software, unless you have a reasonable level of technical aptitude, you don't mean extracted. You mean ripped. Ripped is not the same as extracted, extracted is synonymous with demultiplexed/demuxed.

Graphic (grammar)

"Graphic" is not a noun and most certainly not a singular countable noun. It is an adjective. Even the ABC BBC are getting this wrong.

If I was (grammar)

No, if you were.

Industry (free thought)

This is a wiki about music. The chances are, you're not talking about an industry, as industry is the "automated production of material goods".

Liberal (free thought)

What you mean is iliberal. Unless you're not American, in which case you've probably got it right.

Product (free thought)

Okay, there is such thing as a product in the sense of goods. However, services are not produced in the manner or frame (in the cognitive sense) which this word most readily evokes. Product is increasingly being used by providers of services to instill their desired "needs"--those of material goods manufacturers.

It's a PR technique, similar to the ones used by idea monopolies (the copyright lobby). It evokes a set of ideas and "common sense" developed and internalised by people (those who listen or are targeted by the PR)...developed and internalised for matters ("contexts") of material goods. It's a detestable phenomena, but nowhere near as detestable in this form compared to the form used by the copyright lobby.

Realised (free thought)

Unless understood can be used as a drop-in replacement, you don't mean realised.

Often times (grammar)

Is meaningless. Get rid of "times".

Than (grammar)

Allow yourselves to be introduced to the words from, then and most recently as.

Would [prep] (grammar)

Would have. 'nough said. Typically said by those who don't read or don't think about what they're saying. Therefore probably not worth speaking to, walk away.

Utilize (free thought)

To utilise means to make a utility out of. If a utility is going to be used for its intended purpose, then it is not going to be utilised. It is going to be used. This is one of those words that people use to make it sound as though they have an authority on the subject, much like all jargon.

z (spelling)

The chances are, this being an English English wiki as opposed to a non-English English wiki, you mean to use s. This is particularly important if the word you're trying to zedise is an acronym, such as laser and taser.

Adjectives and adverbs (free thought)

I'm being serious. Reduce them. If it is possible to maintain the same factual information, then leave them out entirely.

Recommended reading

  • Edward Bernays: Propaganda (warning: will make you throw up, possibly turn you into a psychopath)
  • Stewart Ewen: PR!: A Social History of Spin (as above, but less likely on both counts)
  • George Orwell: Politics and the English Language


  • Any books on logic and reasoning
  • Any books on memory and social cognition