Interesting Conversation With My Dad Re: Gay Marriage.
Dad: Have you heard today that the Supreme Court...
Corvid: Oh! Yes, full US legal gay marriage - about bloody time!
Dad: Mm, yes... My only quibble is that I wish they’d use a different word.
Corvid: *neurons scowl* Why?
Dad: Well, because traditionally, marriage had been defined as between a man and a woman...
Corvid: *neurons scowl more because this sounds weirdly like 1950s conservative/bigoted/dodgyshit which is the polar-opposite of my father's usual philosophy* 'Traditionally' it's been lots of things - still kept the same name. Unless you think marriage is solely to purify the act of sprogging and gay couples 'traditionally' have difficulty with that, I don't see a need to...
Dad: *mildly indignant* No, of course not!
Corvid: Well then, I don’t see the point of splitting hairs. Kerrist, if we’re gonna start defining marriage by its sub-sets, then let’s make up words for all the different sorts of marriages. Let’s have one word for 'married cos we're in love’ one word for 'married cos my religion scorns me if I don’t’ a different word for 'married cos this is financially convenient’ and another for ‘we didn’t fancy marrying but we needed to stop our parents nagging’...
Dad: You’re just being fallacious...
Corvid: No, I’m being facetious. Also looking for excuses to make up new and interesting words - we get to make up one, fekkit, let's make up a bunch - I like neologisms! Greek - Latin - you know that shit - I can do portmanteaus - let's go!
Dad: *laughs*
Universe: *long pause*
Neurons: We don't understand his position and we're not sure we like it!
Corvid:Why do you think there ought to be a new word to define the marriage of same sex partners?
Dad: It’s such a shift in society - it’s a monumental change of attitude, and whenever something new occurs, it ought to be marked linguistically to mirror the social change.
Corvid: *Neurons blink and resist the urge to squee* Oh! I see. It’s like using linguistics to mark and crown the occasion!
Dad: Precisely.
Corvid: *sardonic* Heeeee!
Dad: What?
Corvid: Oh, come on, you know language doesn’t work that way. Language's like a stroppy teenager - you can’t give it new words and expect it to use them! Language'll do what it always does, stick two fingers up at you then sod off into a dark corner and think up its own way of doing things.
Dad: *wryly amused* Yes, I suppose you’re right.
Corvid: Oh! Yes, full US legal gay marriage - about bloody time!
Dad: Mm, yes... My only quibble is that I wish they’d use a different word.
Corvid: *neurons scowl* Why?
Dad: Well, because traditionally, marriage had been defined as between a man and a woman...
Corvid: *neurons scowl more because this sounds weirdly like 1950s conservative/bigoted/dodgyshit which is the polar-opposite of my father's usual philosophy* 'Traditionally' it's been lots of things - still kept the same name. Unless you think marriage is solely to purify the act of sprogging and gay couples 'traditionally' have difficulty with that, I don't see a need to...
Dad: *mildly indignant* No, of course not!
Corvid: Well then, I don’t see the point of splitting hairs. Kerrist, if we’re gonna start defining marriage by its sub-sets, then let’s make up words for all the different sorts of marriages. Let’s have one word for 'married cos we're in love’ one word for 'married cos my religion scorns me if I don’t’ a different word for 'married cos this is financially convenient’ and another for ‘we didn’t fancy marrying but we needed to stop our parents nagging’...
Dad: You’re just being fallacious...
Corvid: No, I’m being facetious. Also looking for excuses to make up new and interesting words - we get to make up one, fekkit, let's make up a bunch - I like neologisms! Greek - Latin - you know that shit - I can do portmanteaus - let's go!
Dad: *laughs*
Universe: *long pause*
Neurons: We don't understand his position and we're not sure we like it!
Corvid:Why do you think there ought to be a new word to define the marriage of same sex partners?
Dad: It’s such a shift in society - it’s a monumental change of attitude, and whenever something new occurs, it ought to be marked linguistically to mirror the social change.
Corvid: *Neurons blink and resist the urge to squee* Oh! I see. It’s like using linguistics to mark and crown the occasion!
Dad: Precisely.
Corvid: *sardonic* Heeeee!
Dad: What?
Corvid: Oh, come on, you know language doesn’t work that way. Language's like a stroppy teenager - you can’t give it new words and expect it to use them! Language'll do what it always does, stick two fingers up at you then sod off into a dark corner and think up its own way of doing things.
Dad: *wryly amused* Yes, I suppose you’re right.