[Titanscape (OP)]

Around the world we have some idea of North American terms which describe people, favourably and noteably disfavourably. Such as Nerd, screwball, dork, chock, dweeb, freak and geek...

What makes a nerd and what makes a dweeb...? I hear it relates to looks and social behaviour. What effects does it have on the outcast to be named such?

In Australia we seldom use those terms and what of England? We call some people "dags" here.

What are these American terms?

Titanscape

[roberth]

By golly, Titan. You make us out to be so perfect, but we do have names for some people. ****er and d!ckhead come to mind as do many others that would just get edited out. Seppo, abo, pommie, wog, slope, poof, well...you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't use these terms myself. I haven't heard dag for a while either.

Cripes, the edited word was like tanker with a w.

[neilep]

I think Titan...Perhaps it's just you who does not use those terms..or the people you know do not use such language.......but....as a Pom who visited Oz a short while ago...I certainly received the warmth and generosity that the people of Sydney could vocalise to their bestest capacity !!!...I gave as good as I got mind !!..and it was all in good spirits too.

Now what makes a nerd a nerd or a dweeb a dweeb ?...well...Media of all sorts.....a predilection for prejudice perhaps ?.....I can not imagine the person at the receiving end of said names would take these comments/insults/nomenclatures well.....unless they had thick skin.....but I would hope that they(the so called nerds etc) would have the last word with success and happinness, because, as the the insulters purvey such colloquial terms, they themselves must feel inadequate to  have to afford such phrases towards others....they are ususally the no hopers, the losers, the spongers and the leeches of society......if the only way they can derive satisfaction  is by making others feel bad, then it's because they do not have it within themselves to elevate their own position. they must denigrate and belittle to have themselves 'appear' tall.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[Donnah]

Wow, Neil, Bravo!!!

[MayoFlyFarmer]

While each wod as those named above does have a specific meaning, they are rarely used by such desegnation.  They are more so just general slander used to degrade or tease someone (often just in good fun)with out giving thought to which word is being used.  Individuals, and social circles all have their favorites.  I prefer ****.  I call everyone a slutIts kind of if you you don't know me well enough to know that I mean nothing by it, then its ytour problem and you can take all the offense to it that you want to.   With that I'd like to say "Sup sluts?"

A submarine is NOT a cargo ship!

[Donnah]

I have an issue with the word ****.  Does it not have a female connotation?  And if so, what's the male equivalent of the word?

[neilep]

quote:Originally posted by Donnah

I have an issue with the word ****.  Does it not have a female connotation?  And if so, what's the male equivalent of the word?

I agree Donnah....and that's a good question about the male version of ****. It is most certainly attributed towards women and also gay men.

 What ever the circumstance though,it seems quintessentially to be a female/effeminate orientated term.

 What ever the male(masculine) version is though, it obvioulsy has not a shadow of the impact of '****' else it would presumably be well known.

2 MINS LATER


I just looked up '****' in the dictionary and it says....'a dirty slatternly woman,  an immoral woman'



'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[Titanscape (OP)]

What makes one cool or mint as they say in Perth WA or suave or hot... differs from place to place. In India it is totally different to here. The fabric of the cultures is different. In Australia intellectuals are the cool dudes which get the girls and dress well often times but that is just my experience amidst a great diversity and unknowing. Our jocks fair about equal with the intellectuals unless they are sharp as well. Smartness is respected. Also power is and by women.

I went to 2 hi schools in Perth WA and 3 in Sydney. Mostly Catholic ones.

What is it like in other countries and are the Revenge Of The Nerd style movies and Buffy anything to go by? This is all very intersting to me to look back on and compare with you!!! All you foreign fellows make an excellent opportunity to discuss stuff.

My appearance is symetrical but I am not at all a good looker. Perhaps If I were from Chicago I would have been a geek or something. Except that my dad was a film maker and art was my mains in high school along with English.

Titanscape

[Donnah]

quote:Originally posted by neilep

quote:Originally posted by Donnah

I have an issue with the word ****.  Does it not have a female connotation?  And if so, what's the male equivalent of the word?

I just looked up '****' in the dictionary and it says....'a dirty slatternly woman,  an immoral woman'
'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

My mistake Neil.  It has a female denotation.

[neilep]

You didn't make a mistake as far as I can see Donnah...I think 'connotation' still works or applies.....language eh ?

I have tried to research a male version of '****'....I can't find one...yet...but perhaps someone knows eh ?..or mayne there just isn't one !!

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[MayoFlyFarmer]

I just thought the deffinition of **** was just someone sexually permiscuos.  i know it usually has a female association because thats where its more typically used when in its propper meaning, however, I thought by definition it could be applied equally to either gender.  
My personal use of the word has noting to do with sexual permiscuity or gender.... I'd cal mother teresa "****" if she were alive and ZI met her (well no, I probably wouldn't but if she were my friend I would)  I think I am doing society a favor by depowering the word which can be otherwise negative [8D]

A submarine is NOT a cargo ship!

[neilep]

I think we understood your use of the word '****' was as a term of endearment Justy......well...and that YOUR particular use of thr word has no malice behind it at all. I was just looking into the definition and it is most definitely a word specific in it's orientaion towards the female gender......well, to be even more pedantic about it....it is by nature a feminine word.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[MayoFlyFarmer]

quote:Originally posted by neilep

I was just looking into the definition and it is most definitely a word specific in it's orientaion towards the female gender......well, to be even more pedantic about it....it is by nature a feminine word.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

I still don't know about this.  MY use aside.... I really think that the word refers to the sexual activities of a person (or creature I guess) of either sex.  Its just traditionally used more in female cases as society (claims to) care less about the permiscuity of a man.  I know some dictionaries will implicate otherwise, but I've learned not to trust them []

A submarine is NOT a cargo ship!

[neilep]

Soz mate....we'll have to agree to disagree.....if you can argue with concise dictionary definitions and then expect people to realise Your meaning then I think no one will be able to agree with anything...If you can't trust a dictionary what can you trust ?...and does your rational apply to any and all text/reference books or any reference material of any sort ?

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[Donnah]

Language evolves over time.  Thank goodness, or we might all sound like Chaucer.  If **** is evolving to include both genders as Justin suggests, I'm all for it.  The double standard for wo/men has always iritated me.  If it's alright for men but not women to have sex, then they'd all have to have intercourse with other men.

[neilep]

I'm sure in the time of Chaucer the language was just as 'normal' as ours is today....and I'm certainly up for one big homogeneous bowl of Language Pie !!....perhaps we should all learn A: Sign Language and B: Esperanto..............actually having said that.....I presume Sign language is geographically different.......or is there am international standard ?

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[MayoFlyFarmer]

its geographically different because I know if you learn sign language over here you technically learn the language "american sign language"  (unless we are just cooler than everyoneelse and the rest of the world has a standard format but I doubt it)

I wonder if there are sighn language accents/dialects??

That's no moon.... its a GRAPEFRUIT!!!!

[Ultima]

Titanscape:  

quote:In Australia intellectuals are the cool dudes which get the girls and dress well often times but that is just my experience amidst a great diversity and unknowing. Our jocks fair about equal with the intellectuals unless they are sharp as well. Smartness is respected. Also power is and by women.

Where I live imagine the complete opposite... you are persecuted like a leper if you are the remotest bit intelligent, popularity is measured on stupidity, looks and physical strength alone. The place is over run with Chavs, which is a local word just to describe these kinds of people. Lots of my intelligent friends act like morons just to fit in… which makes them appear two faced at times…. [V]

http://www.chavscum.co.uk

wOw the world spins?

[neilep]

According to this site http://www.rit.edu/~dabdis/indj/dcoew.html it seems that sign language is just geographically different as the wspoken word.

Matt....that's a fun website.......!!...do you live in Essex ?  (sorry Rich and Chris..essex is great !)

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'  

[Ultima]

Nah Neil I live in Cheltenham, near Gloucester. Chav is taken from Romany for boy, and CHeltenham AVerage.

wOw the world spins?