...being FEMALE! Or at least, that seems to be the gist of Jeff Minter's anti-piracy argument.
Dear, oh dear. If I may clarify, in Britain the word 'cunt' is used pejoratively against persons of all genders by both males and females equally. It does not imply any prejudice against female anatomy any more than the pejorative usage of the word 'fucking' implies a dislike of copulation.
If I may further clarify on a wider point, many people seem to have mistaken Mr Minter's article for a solemn missive or angry rant. Those who've taken the time to read more of WotR, and perhaps even browsed through some back issues, might realise that the columnists write in a spirit of fun and gentle teasing. Mr Minter and 'Cubit' are in reality good friends who agreed to write mutually polarised articles for the purpose of stimulating debate. Both articles were written to stimulate thought and neither were entirely serious. Just read what else is on the pages, for Goddess's sake!:-)
H. -- "Climb into the Chao with a friend or two And follow the Way it carries you, Adrift like a Lunatic Lifeboat Crew Over the Waves in whatever you do." ["The Honest Book of Truth"; The Book of Advice, 1:3]
There's no need to, sir. Mr Minter has already released almost all of his previous work as freeware:-).
H. -- "'Tell me, you dumb beast,' demanded [Zarathud] in his commanding voice, 'Why don't you do something worthwhile. What is your Purpose in Life, anyway?' Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied 'MU'. Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened. Primarily because nobody could understand Chinese." [Malaclypse the Younger -- "Principia Discordia"]
I would add that the decreasing fluffiness of his metaphorical beasties, along with the increasing damage inflicted by their teasers, suggests that Mr Minter was not being entirely serious. Indeed, his statement that, "we smell nice," is particularly laughable to anyone who knows him:-D.
In short, his exaggerations were tongue-in-cheek or, as we say in Britain, 'taking the piss'. His point was that developers and pirates are not the cute little bunnies and evil total bastards of anti-pirate mythology but still, as someone trying to make a living out popular programming, he'd like some financial appreciation from those who like what he produces, if that's not too much bother, please.
H. -- How To Write Good 11. One should never generalise.
[...] the kind of people who use the word are generally the same class of people that use the word FAG, or FAGGOT as a derogatory term here in the US. [...]
From where did you pick up that idea? The word is commonly used in this country (the United Kingdom), although not generally in 'polite company'. Do you mean to imply that writing in an informal style implies bigotry?
There does seem to be a cultural divide here. I've heard that, in the U.S., the word is strictly linked to female anatomy and, indeed, is usually directed at women. Over here, a person calling someone 'a cunt' (in the derogatory sense) is no more thinking of vaginas than a person saying "bastard" (in the same sense) is thinking of illegitimacy. Neither is there any implication that the person using either word disapproves of fannies or births out of matrimony. Mr Minter's expansion of the derogatory 'cunt' to descriptions of feminine naughty bits was akin to a pun, recognisable as such and thus humorous to most Brits but, presumably, not to foreigners for whom the word apparently has only a single meaning.
To witness the word as it is commonly used in Britain, simply search for it on the YakYak forum where you will find that Mr Minter is frequently and playfully referred to as a cunt himself.
[He] just doesn't realize that some conversational vernacular that sounds OK when spoken makes you sound like a jerk when written.
Outside of his native country, perhaps. BTW, I understand that, in the U.S., 'jerk' is a reference to masturbation. Do you therefore mean in your statement above either that people who use such words sound sexy to you or that you find 'jerking off' unpleasurable? If neither was your intention then I suggest that your 'jerk' is semantically similar to our 'cunt' and 'bastard'.
H. -- "Great Britain and the United States are nations separated by a common language." [Attributed to George Bernard Shaw]
Slashdot Mirror
...being FEMALE!
:-)
Or at least, that seems to be the gist of Jeff Minter's anti-piracy argument.
Dear, oh dear. If I may clarify, in Britain the word 'cunt' is used pejoratively against persons of all genders by both males and females equally. It does not imply any prejudice against female anatomy any more than the pejorative usage of the word 'fucking' implies a dislike of copulation.
If I may further clarify on a wider point, many people seem to have mistaken Mr Minter's article for a solemn missive or angry rant. Those who've taken the time to read more of WotR, and perhaps even browsed through some back issues, might realise that the columnists write in a spirit of fun and gentle teasing. Mr Minter and 'Cubit' are in reality good friends who agreed to write mutually polarised articles for the purpose of stimulating debate. Both articles were written to stimulate thought and neither were entirely serious. Just read what else is on the pages, for Goddess's sake!
H.
--
"Climb into the Chao with a friend or two
And follow the Way it carries you,
Adrift like a Lunatic Lifeboat Crew
Over the Waves in whatever you do."
["The Honest Book of Truth"; The Book of Advice, 1:3]
I want to go pirate this asshole's games now.
:-).
There's no need to, sir. Mr Minter has already released almost all of his previous work as freeware
H.
--
"'Tell me, you dumb beast,' demanded [Zarathud] in his commanding voice,
'Why don't you do something worthwhile. What is your Purpose in Life, anyway?'
Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied 'MU'.
Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened. Primarily because
nobody could understand Chinese."
[Malaclypse the Younger -- "Principia Discordia"]
I would add that the decreasing fluffiness of his metaphorical beasties, along with the increasing damage inflicted by their teasers, suggests that Mr Minter was not being entirely serious. Indeed, his statement that, "we smell nice," is particularly laughable to anyone who knows him :-D.
In short, his exaggerations were tongue-in-cheek or, as we say in Britain, 'taking the piss'. His point was that developers and pirates are not the cute little bunnies and evil total bastards of anti-pirate mythology but still, as someone trying to make a living out popular programming, he'd like some financial appreciation from those who like what he produces, if that's not too much bother, please.
H.
--
How To Write Good
11. One should never generalise.
[...] the kind of people who use the word are generally the same class of people that use the word FAG, or FAGGOT as a derogatory term here in the US. [...]
From where did you pick up that idea? The word is commonly used in this country (the United Kingdom), although not generally in 'polite company'. Do you mean to imply that writing in an informal style implies bigotry?
There does seem to be a cultural divide here. I've heard that, in the U.S., the word is strictly linked to female anatomy and, indeed, is usually directed at women. Over here, a person calling someone 'a cunt' (in the derogatory sense) is no more thinking of vaginas than a person saying "bastard" (in the same sense) is thinking of illegitimacy. Neither is there any implication that the person using either word disapproves of fannies or births out of matrimony. Mr Minter's expansion of the derogatory 'cunt' to descriptions of feminine naughty bits was akin to a pun, recognisable as such and thus humorous to most Brits but, presumably, not to foreigners for whom the word apparently has only a single meaning.
To witness the word as it is commonly used in Britain, simply search for it on the YakYak forum where you will find that Mr Minter is frequently and playfully referred to as a cunt himself.
[He] just doesn't realize that some conversational vernacular that sounds OK when spoken makes you sound like a jerk when written.
Outside of his native country, perhaps. BTW, I understand that, in the U.S., 'jerk' is a reference to masturbation. Do you therefore mean in your statement above either that people who use such words sound sexy to you or that you find 'jerking off' unpleasurable? If neither was your intention then I suggest that your 'jerk' is semantically similar to our 'cunt' and 'bastard'.
H.
--
"Great Britain and the United States are nations separated by a common language."
[Attributed to George Bernard Shaw]