Language Usage

May 12, 2008 16:46

Saeva posted that she hates the fannish usage of the word pimp and she wants people to stop. Several people chime in in comments that this creeps them out, too ( Read more... )

fandom, women, words

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Comments 35

vylit May 12 2008, 20:55:10 UTC
She prefers to not associate with urban street culture? The fuck.

Also, I have no idea. I've stopped using the word pimp, and I took it out of the keywords of one of my icons a few months ago, but it's a pain in the ass because I haven't found a word to replace it.

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zvi_likes_tv May 12 2008, 21:02:12 UTC
INORITE! Like, seriously, I can't deal with it or my head will explode.

I feel like I've done my fannish vocabulary good deeds for the year, and nothing occurred to me off the top, so I decided to throw it out to my flist. I've just become increasingly convinced that memes don't die unless something else crawls into their niche. Pimp won't leave on a wide scale until something else replaces it.

Although, I found a list of little used words in English the other day…. And I can use this as an excuse to play freerice, too. /dictionary nerd.

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musesfool May 12 2008, 21:02:35 UTC
Oh good lord. Can we beat her with sticks? Lennox Macbeth, I mean.

I suppose hype could take the place of pimp. Hmm...

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zvi_likes_tv May 12 2008, 21:28:59 UTC
The one thing I dislike about hype is that it's a fairly common word, in that specific usage, in casual American speech. It's not required, but I prefer that, when imposing a subculture specific language task on a word, we don't use one which has a common language task elsewhere.

Although, it's better than picking a common word whose meaning is contrary to or completely perpendicular to the subcultural one. (If I had been on the committee to name that which was eventually known as slash, we'd be calling it something else.)

Anyway, if I get another three or four good suggestions, I'll throw hype and the rest into a poll and see what falls out.

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musesfool May 13 2008, 00:06:22 UTC
I get that. I like puff, too. As a baseball fan, pitch is already in common usage to me, but I could adapt.

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selkiechick May 12 2008, 21:09:50 UTC
I hear where she is coming from and have been beating my brains to come up with better words. (and without resorting to the drug analogies, either, "crack fic" "dealer" etc.. because they are no less objectionable)

For panels- I think promoting the idea of "fandom trailers" (a la Movie trailers) the "tell us in 5 minutes or less why we should watch this show/read this book" is an unobjectionable and adequately descriptive.

It's just not "catchy"

I'd far rather be inoffensive than glib, but if there isn't a great alternative, it's a hard sell.

Hmmm I suppose using miltary terms like "press gang" "conscript" and "draft" have their own negative baggage.

(As much as I love Torchwood, I am feeling a little like a fannish press-gang has had at me...)

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zvi_likes_tv May 12 2008, 21:21:10 UTC
I was thinking it would probably be something about seduction or possibly possibly advertising, e.g. win a clio for Torchwood; adbuy Gizzie.

I suppose we could do like they did with Joss/jossed and figure out which fan in fandom is best at pimping stuff. 4thvining your favorite show? Vining?

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jacquez May 12 2008, 21:40:20 UTC
I believe we have all experienced the fannish press-gang at times!

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cidercupcakes May 12 2008, 21:20:34 UTC
Hm. I can see the misogyny argument, and I admit I have moments where I'm not entirely comfortable with "pimp" as common fannish terminology. The arguments about American urban culture make me really, really uncomfortable, though, as they seem to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. I'm not at all happy, to say the least, with the primary argument against the word's usage being a classist and/or racist one rather than an anti-sexist one.

I also agree hardcore that without something to take its place, there's no way it's going to work. "Push", maybe, but eh. Thesaurus.com brings up the synonym "puff" for "publicize", which I like and which I think might have the best chance of catching on.

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zvi_likes_tv May 12 2008, 21:24:13 UTC
AFAIK, Lenox Macbeth is in no way speaking for Saeva, just in a space Saeva opened up. I've certainly had people say things I disagree with in my comments.

Puff actually has something to it. I think if I get more than a couple of decent suggestions, I'll run a poll.

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amedia May 12 2008, 21:28:50 UTC
The problem I see with puff is that "puffery" refers to permissible exaggeration in advertising. Like the old Joe Isuzu commercials - something so overblown that there's no danger the audience will believe it. I don't think that's the connotation we would want.

But dang! I like the idea of coming up with a snappy alternative. Then we can pimp it around promote it to fandom at large.

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zvi_likes_tv May 12 2008, 21:32:09 UTC
I don't know that we need (or want) a 1:1 correspondence in meaning. It's certainly not as if we use the word pimp to refer to the sex trade, and we don't use it with the same meaning as other slang and colloquial usages, either.

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thebratqueen May 12 2008, 23:05:01 UTC
New words could also depend on context. Like if one is pimping a fic or a vid, one could just as easily say they were reccing the fic or vid. But that particular flavor of the word doesn't quite work for trying to interest people in your fandom as a whole ( ... )

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