OT: Pariah?

Ok, sorry this is kinda off the topic but.....does "pariah" mean "social outcast"? I'm just wondering because I've heard of it but I'm not sure if it means that. Does it mean someone who is like the school reject or someone who just isn't popular? there is a difference. thanx 4 reading thisb

MiniCat155 wrote:

A Pariah is someone who sort of removes themselves from social interaction. Think the weird girl in "The Breakfast Club".

Skyrocket

In article ,

You mean Allison, right? "I'm not a nymphomaniac...I'm a compulsive liar." That and the "Why are you being so nice to me?" "Because you're letting me be." exchange between Allison and Claire (popular girl) are two of my favorite scenes from the movie.

deena lissa "The Breakfast Club" fan

"You are lost and alone, but a prisoner of your pride..." (Duran Duran 1986) Jane: Dear Daria, Lousy Traitor. Daria: Dear Jane, I know what you are, but what am I?

Yes, it does.

just isn't popular? <<

You'd have to be a pretty extreme reject to qualify as a LITERAL "pariah", but as we know Daria and her pals are a tad melodramatic.

"Q�0" wrote:

Is there something wrong with not having a dictionary? </defensive>

"Q�0" wrote:

How d'you figure? The literate don't need dictionaries.

"Q�0" wrote:

Who cares?

On Sat, 06 Mar 1999 16:07:11 -0800, [email] (Q�0) wrote:

The literate can figure out word meanings through context clues. It would seem to me only the half-literate would need dictionaries.

___
Kyle

You wanna come over here and say that? Oh, you do? I was kinda hopin you'd back off, so nevermind.

Another Nugget Of Wisdom from the Wonderful World Of Kyle(TM)

endless, nameless wrote in message ...

"social

if it

someone who

Here's an online dictionary, if you don't mind American English: http://www.m-w.com/

Words are the Lego blocks of language. The more you have the more things you can do.

Bob

"R. K. Henry" wrote:

What's the use of having the Lego if you can't/won't/don't play with it? I don't *like* words. :)

But you do use words, otherwise you couldn't post here, think of that.

Ha.

Eccles9697 wrote:

I don't like them, though. I don't use them much offline - much of the "communication" I participate involves two words, "go away", screamed at high volume. :)

Definitely too very useful words, especially in the school environment, but I think we all know there are certain people (or person) you'd find use for... other words for.

The ever faithful defender of words,

Dagny misery chick, cynic, general loony

Visit the Parsley Firefly http://members.aol.com/Eccles9697

"One must have chaos in one, to give birth to a dancing star. I tell you: you still have chaos in you." Friedrich Nietzsche

Eccles9697 wrote:

But I have to be careful, because if I scream at people whent there's teachers around, I'll lose my reputation as the silent one, or something....

:P

And just as specialty lego pieces can help you create unique creations not possible with simple bricks, specialty and infrequently used words can do a lot to give your writing interest.

But, there is a lowest common denominator for vocabulary when your purpose is to effect good communication. If you use a big words that your audience will not be familiar with, you are defeating this purpose. If you realize that your big words will not be understood, but choose to use them just to impress, intimidate, show off, etc... then you are just being pretentious, condescending, or both. Not the case here, BTW. It is reasonable to assume that smart and educated Daria fans could know this word.

Sorry for this dull post, I really just wanted to talk about specialty lego pieces.

Adam wrote in message ...

Agreed, in communicating you need to consider your audience. But is there really any harm in "pushing the outside of the envelope" just a little? If audiences never learn the range of words that are available (maybe because they're stupid) and writers never use those words because their readers might not know them then the words die. And the language is diminished. Acquiescing to the mediocre might be the smart thing to do for most communications but at some point we need to fight to improve the level of mediocrity in the world. A.T.D. is an excellent place to start. For some reason Daria seems to attract a much better grade of participant than most newsgroups. We're all willing to learn from each other and challenge each other. If a poster inadvertently steps beyond the limits of understanding then anyone can provide feedback by merely posting the simple question, "What the HELL are you talking about?"

Of course we're also trying to shame Alli into buying a dictionary. <G> (just kidding.)

Bob

"R. K. Henry" wrote:

Sometimes, though, it's fun to use archaic or obscure words just to piss off someone who deserves it. The memo is a great forum for this, although email has provided another such avenue for revenge. :-) Granted, it's a little passive-agressive, but it's much better than calling him/her a jerk, and it still gets the same results.

I used to have lots of great lego kits when I was a child-- but I have no idea where they all went. Every now and then I'll run across a box with a solitary sad little lego piece sitting in it, and wonder, "Hey little buddy, where'd all of your friends go?" *sniff*

And if someone in the group pushes the envelope a little too far, one of us with a Dictionary will always step in and 'splain it to you.

That goes without saying. <g> Of course, if anyone of this group ever tried to gove Alli a dictionary, I'd bet that she'd pitch it right back at us and tell us to do something physically impossible with it. <vbg>

kidding because we care, rich.

Quinn: I can't be a brain! My friends will hate me!

paperpusher wrote:

No, I'm being nice to people now. Except my family, because that'd be an impossible task....

In article , "R. K. Henry" wrote:

I agree. And you'll notice in my explanation that I never stated or implied that a.t.d. discussion is, or should be, a paradigm of ideal, uncompromised communication. In fact, I believe quite the opposite; I find that many of the discussions here fall into the first category of writing, wherein the occasional use of archaic or rare words for flavor and interest will be appreciated. Daria would certainly want it that way ;-)

So, sometimes big words are OK and fun, and othertimes is makes little sense to use them. It's up to you [the writer], in your understanding of the audience, to decide.

-Pariah Heap

"R. K. Henry" wrote:

I've got one anyway, so :P We were all given one at the end of year 6, and I'd totally forgotten about it until I found it under my bed today....LOL, it'd been there for five years, there was this really thick layer of dust on it.... :)

That's just like it was with my "best" shoes (ie. shiny ones) that I wore for the funeral I went to last week. Having already spent a while brushing the dust off the shoulders of my suit I dug out these shoes from under a cupboard and they'd been there so long I actually had to hoover the dust off them, it was so thick. When I put them on I found they squeaked as I walked and I suddenly remembered why I hadn't worn them for 4 years.

-Shez.

Yes, it makes you a pariah.

-Shez.

endless, nameless wrote in message ...

No, not really.

Besides, all joking and teasing aside, you do pretty damn well without a dictionary. Better than some people I know with dictionaries. And since it turns out that you actually DO have a dictionary I think it's time to drop this whole thread and move on.

"Really! I mean, how hard is it to type stuff?"

Bob

"R. K. Henry" wrote:

LOL, I've never used it, though! This is one very odd thing; my English teacher has never complained about my spelling, I just get into trouble for handing in really appalling work. Today I handed in some coursework (that I'd done during my lunch break), and she read it through after class and said to me "This needs some improvement" and wondered off muttering "Oh dear God...." LOL.

Damn, a little witchy today are we, Q? Mouse Loyal Companion to the Black Cat and Fellow Rat-in-Crime (Don't ask, please.. ;)

On Sat, 06 Mar 1999 14:14:24 -0800, [email] (Q�0) wrote:

Ooh, now THIS is a fight to see. Atd Deathmatch. Tonight: The Infamous Q�0 vs. the Overly Enthusiastic MinCat!

On Sun, 07 Mar 1999 01:16:14 GMT, [email] (Tarvok) wrote:

MiniCat'll BusT HiM OVer THE HEad WIth an ExclaMATIoin
PoInT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

___
Kyle

I saw the best mind of my generation. I was looking into a mirror at the time.

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! The Good Lord wants the Cubs to win!

(announcer voice) "...and now MiniCat BURIES the troll with a BLIZZARD of punctuation!!!! Oh, the humanity!!!!"

In article , [email] wrote:

"I'll allow it!"

(Celebrity Deathmatch fans will get that.)

Scott

On Sun, 07 Mar 1999 20:34:42 -0500, [email] (Scott) wrote:

Oooh, it's the dreaded American Reverse Punctuation Pulverizer(tm)!

___
Kyle

I saw the best mind of my generation. I was looking into a mirror at the time.

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! The Good Lord wants the Cubs to win!