sci-fi ikea manuals

[ffutures]

Nice idea, wish they'd used "SF" instead of Sci-fi

http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6500868/sci-fi-ikea-manuals

Comments

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Pretty much every word in the language has been used as a pejorative by someone. To people who don't like the stuff, any version of Science Fiction / Speculative Fiction / Sci-Fi / SF / etc. will be pejorative ("that stupid Buck Rogers stuff"). 'Mundane' is a perfectly good word, but has been (mis)used by a lot of fans as a pejorative. Heck, 'fan' itself is pejorative in its original sense, derived from 'fanatic' (and in some cases well deserved, especially for ones who go ballistic over terms like SF and SciFi!).

Whatever 'new' words you use, they will soon attract a pejorative meaning from those who dislike the activity or people associated with the word. Call it Xyzzy and in a few years people will be complaining that Xyzzy is a pejorative (and some of those to whom it applies will be satirically pronouncing it 'zizzy'). The only way of countering it is to take the words back from the pejorators[1] and wear them proudly, the same way that 'gay' has been taken back, and show that it is the pejorative meaning which is deviant.

(And even I get confused often over SF, whether it means an American city or a literary genre, and I'm British.)

[1] I'm not convinced that's a word, but it neatly mashes "pejorative orators".

[kayshapero]

[1] I'm not convinced that's a word, but it neatly mashes "pejorative orators"

Whether or not it is, I'm adopting it! :)

You could also mention Yankee...

Anyway, the thing we all need to remember is that not everybody is using the same platform, or viewing the world from the same direction. And that when you've accidentally hurt someone, explaining carefully why they have no right to feel insulted amounts to backing up and running over them again.