On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:51:53 -0700, "alooo" <uh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> offered us
these thoughts:
>There's been a lot of discussion comparing the GP question with last
>season's teacup question and I think I'm seeing a pattern here so let me
ask
>something: is there anybody here who takes issues with the validity of
one
>of those answers but not the other?
I believe you already know, I found the teacup question fine, but feel
the GP question is, at the very kindest, a cheap shot.
The GP question is not *only* a matter of possessing facts. It is
also a matter of verbal meanings. These are *never* facts, in the
sense of the freezing point of water is a fact, but rather
conventions. Verbal conventions are not permanent, but rather are
created afresh by usage.
I've come to believe the people who created this GP question were
quite aware that the verbal convention about the word "relation****p,"
through its usage in the house, The word in that context has an
understood "human," in the same way "Shut the door!" has an understood
"you." Any other use, by verbal conventions, would have to be
identified as being other than the expected usage. Failing to do so
is to foster miscommunication; deliberately so failing is ... well,
pick your favorite word for characterizing deceit.
Matters of science can be objective and universal fact. The teacup
will hold x gallons or it won't. It does not change according to who
is involved or what ones opinions might be. This is simply not the
case with verbal meanings. To use a word broadly, that is customarily
used in a narrow sense, within the same situation as that narrow
usage, is bad usage/wrong.
All of which is not to say the questioners are moral s***. Maybe they
meant levity, with everyone having a laugh after the answer. Then
Ryan got crazy and said "fact," blowing the joke. Long pause, as TPTB
scramble: "What the hell? What are we gonna do?? This could change
the outcome of the HOH!!" and the joke went verrry far south. I don't
know. My mind read capacities are still out to lunch.
But if they meant the question seriously, they should take a few more
English courses, and maybe some philosophy.
--
Bob
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