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How you had to adapt your vocabulary


dudeofthedead
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Hello everyone, before getting started I will briefly introduce myself to the audience: I'm Jeremy, 24, from Belgium - which, you undoubtedly know, is a small Dutch-French speaking country. I love reading, working out on my own, watching movies, playing video games, listening to instrumental music such film music or Trance... I suppose you guys are somehow interested in knowing the following detail: yes, I happen to be vegan too, for the same reasons you have all been discussing here. I remember some people used to make ironic remarks when I would tell them you can, indeed, bulk up on a vegan diet, they would stare at me sceptically, until I agreed to show them the actual result, as I tend to be the type whose years of training go unnoticed, one of the reasons for that is that I'm quite tall, so they don't believe me at first, but then it depends on people, as lots of them find out quite immediately, which then also buggers up my trying not to make it look obvious because I only train for myself, not for the others to think I look great or because I care about what others see in me; try and make sense of that ambiguous statement! I may sound too confident about my self-image, but I guess I'm very proud of what I have been able to achieve without resorting to the usual junk food this pre-formated society keeps buzzing in my ears, it's like my own revenge over the ominous eyes of my peers. Anyway, enough of me digressing, let's get to the main point.

 

It has occurred to me that all human beings have pretty much been using languages to justify our behaviour towards animals, making fun of them as much as possible with expressions like "you sweat like a pig", which first of all is plain stupid as pigs don't even sweat, or "silly cow", "cattle", to emphasize that those are not individual beings with feelings and cravings, but just a stupid mass deprived of any independent thought, or implying that a species like a sheep would follow one another, not because they are caring for or are very protective of each other, but because they are just stupid beings. Harming them isn't just enough, it is also a great pleasure to shove more cheap ass ideas into our thinking holes. Have you ever wanted to change anything in that regard? Are there more expressions that bother you a lot? And, finally, do you refer to an animal as an 'it'?

 

Of course, feel free to move this topic of conversation if this isn't the right section for that.

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Hey dude, welcome to the forum, you sound like you have your head on straight and facing in the right direction. What videogames do you like?

 

Other terms involving animals:

 

pig (someone who is greedy / messy / obnoxious / selfish)

road hog

hog (someone who is selfish)

chicken sh*t (being afraid)

chicken (being afraid)

bull (lie)

bullsh*tter (someone who lies)

milk (to use something until it runs out / is broken / useless)

pussy (someone who is afraid)

pig-ignorant

maggot (worthless, puny)

crushed like a bug (defeated as easily as it is to kill an insect)

sitting duck (waiting for something bad to happen to them)

 

I dunno, some use of words isn't so bad, like saying someone is a lobster if they're red from sunburn, that's just an observation rather than an insult to lobsters. But most of the above are at least subconsiouly putting animals down

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I'm actually a lot into First Person Shooters, my most recent acquisition being GEARS OF WAR for the Xbox 360, although I play all types of games, as long as they're good, you know ?!

 

Well, I guess you're right in writing that some of these expressions aren't all meant to be degrading in the first place, but kind of like funny or ironic. And it's true the English language is also replete with lots of nice expressions regarding animals, and I forgot to mention them. However, I couldn't help but notice that, whenever one needs to ridicule someone, one only needs to bring up a specific animal name for them, so that we are once again remembered that, despite our sincerest efforts in trying to reduce the gap, animals will never be considered our equals because we are too much conditioned to think otherwise. Envision the problem as the multiple layers of a structure, the change has to be applied to all levels, for a decision to stop the killing is in itself not sufficient.

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Yeah, it is a shame that way. I do think it can change though, I mean although it's really hard because of conditioning, I think that I do a pretty good job of treating animals with the same respect as humans. Animals are completely different to one another, including humans, so they can't be treated 'the same', you can't communicate in the same way and they have different needs. But I think it's not too difficult to be nice to them all and think of them deserving the same priority. Most people do have a problem with that

 

I haven't played Gears of War yet, I have no 360. A couple of my friends have it and say it's good, though I am yet to play. FPS, I liked Goldeneye on the 64, I think that's still a brilliant example and a milestone that many developers still fail to pass or even learn from. I liked parts of Halo, but the level design was really weak later into the game, they just repeated stuff. I liked playing the multiplayer online for a while. I played a bit of counterstrike etc, but found it to be kind of obsessive in how similar every single game becomes, not really that many tactics you can use which is a shame, seems too clinical and not fun enough.

 

I got done with Hitman Blood Money on PS2 not long ago, I really liked that. Started playing Scarface on the PS2, but not got that far into it. It has some neat ideas.

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I believe respect is the key to change, we have to accept and learn to live with the idea that we are all different, beyond all selective criteria, and that we can learn from one another. Humans are quick to think that, since animals don't comprehend our language, then they have to be fucking retarded and treated like objets. But again they fail to realize that humans don't understand the barking of a dog, obviously his own distinctive way to communicate with his fellow mates, which in turn make us stupid. As long as speciesism prevails, we will not see the end of it.

 

Yeah, I do also own a PS2 ('who doesn't?' is more likely to echo among players) with many Survival Horror games, I think that has to be my favourite type of games, next to FPS. And you have a point there, shooters are getting less and less inventive, but then you have to try out GEARS OF WAR for yourself, for the player is offered a brand new way to take cover, basically everything can be used to protect yourself from fireshots! It's a great game, really, although a bit short.

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Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite recent games. I liked Resident Evil 1 and 2 when they first came out years ago, but then the game engine didn't develop and it was pretty stale through RE3, Veronica, and all the remakes and stuff on the GC before RE4. Then RE4 kicked so much assssss... I can't wait for RE5.

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Hey, looks like we share another point of interest: Resident Evil. I remember hardcore players expressed their many frustrations about RE4 at its release for not quite following in the footsteps of its predecessors, whereas I truly believe it is a major improvement on all the other installments, I mean... the only way you could revive the saga was to bring in some new stuff, and I think Capcom brilliantly succeeded in doing that. Yet people kept complaining as they felt betrayed. I presume you already know RE5 is coming out for both Xbox 360 and PS3. I am anxious to see how this is going to turn out and, according to the screenshots I have stumbled across, we are once more to impersonate Chris Redfield. Until then, the Xbox 360 still has lots of other promising games coming out soon as well, so that kind of keeps you from thinking too much about the issue. If you're a RE fan, I would urge you to get DEAD RISING (provided you ever decide to buy this console).

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Hurr, yeah I saw some videos of Dead Rising, it looks like a good laugh. Thing is that we are planning to get a PS3, because Tekken 6 will be exclusive to it I guess. Most other games we like playing will be multi platform, but Tekken sways us. Perhaps Dead Rising will come to PS3 or PC.

 

Yeah, RE4 was/is incredible. I got real sick of the RE games leading up to it, they were just more of the same, really dated control system blah. People who complain about RE4, I guess they are justified to an extent because it's not really anything like previous RE games anymore. But I think you can't just keep doing the same thing for the sake of consistency. RE1 had the control system and camera angles that it did because the PS1 wasn't capable of doing more. So to keep that system for 10 years, just seems stubborn, with no actual reason or any gain whatsoever. Changing it to how RE4 works does change everything, but everything needed changing, hurr. It's like in RPG games, when they have turn-based combat. The only reason turn-based combat ever existed in the first place was because early computers couldn't handle a real-time combat system, so it was a way to make it simple, and still have a variety of monsters and abilities, without making it complicated. However, to this day, 15+ years later, turn-based combat remains because of stubborn fans and stubborn/lazy developers. There is no advantage or gain to having turn-based combat... it's time to move on to the next step!

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hello, dudeofthedead, welcome. Cool form name. Linguistics and video games - and interesting combination of interests. Does a society shape its language, or does language shape its society? I think at some point in the evolution of a language, the latter is the case.

 

other animal words I don't like the use of:

 

shark - either a noun, someone who is untrustworthy like a pool shark or someone who'll do anything to get ahead, or a verb, to scam someone. Sharks have a tough enough time with popular opinion!

Whale - a large human

Dog - a promiscuous human

Bat - blind or crazy elderly human

The list goes on and on. Speciesism!

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Great intro! Thanks for finding us and joining our group. We have an awesome team here and I can see you've already made a good friend in Richard. He is an awesome guy, my go-to guy here on the forum.

 

I like the topics you brought up about words and animals. Maybe that can be a discussion started in the animal rights section or vegan lifestyle section.

 

All the best, have fun, and welcome aboard!

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I found those Quick Time Events, first introduced in Shenmue, to be a great addition as well, responsible for a lot of testosterone-driven action while forcing you to stay alert, like that first brawl (the one with knives only) against Krauser, I'd say it provided me with a great sense of being part of the action on screen although all of it is pretty much precalculated.

 

Thanks, lelle, Trev and robert, for this warm welcome, I believe it to be heartfelt. I'm also really happy I found out about this site, as it combines two of the most important things in my life: my love for animals and staying in shape!

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Humans are quick to think that, since animals don't comprehend our language, then they have to be fucking retarded and treated like objets.

 

Humans do the same with other humans who don't speak their language, either literally not speaking their language or simply having a different cultural viewpoint.

 

I don't think that the disrespect comes from the language. Words are simply words, nothing more. They only have power if given it by misunderstanding, apathy or hatred.

 

Welcome to the board!

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I don't think that the disrespect comes from the language. Words are simply words, nothing more. They only have power if given it by misunderstanding, apathy or hatred.

 

See, that's the very idea behind this thread - insults including animal names DO have power in this case since they are used in a context when human beings are supposed to feel miserable. Call me picky but I don't like that.

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I don't think that the disrespect comes from the language. Words are simply words, nothing more. They only have power if given it by misunderstanding, apathy or hatred.

 

See, that's the very idea behind this thread - insults including animal names DO have power in this case since they are used in a context when human beings are supposed to feel miserable. Call me picky but I don't like that.

 

I understand your point, I just don't agree with it. I'm a proponent of the free flow of language without restriction on words chosen or implications made. That includes words or phrases deemed disrespectful to animals, humans, cultures, races etc. But, we've been around that circle many times on this board, just ask Richard about the word 'gypo'.

 

So, I may in fact call you picky or any number of other things, but you make me think, which I always appreciate. I think you'll fit right in here, welcome again.

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Welcome

 

I disagee with the word thing. We had bouts about vocabulary in here before.

The words that comes out of someones mouth is a reflection of the processes inside someones head/soul/persnality/etc. Forbidding the words won't do squat to change these processes. To me this is an example of oversimplification that has gotten us into alot of trouble in the past and still is. It's the mindset that has to change which is of course a much deeper and tougher problem.

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Hey and welcome to the board!

 

oo.. and Dead Rising does not compare to RE!

 

Dat is ook de bedoeling (= that's the idea). With this taken into account I think my comparison still stands up in a way that both games revolve around killing zombies, even though DEAD RISING is merely a homage to George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD while RESIDENT EVIL is openly based on the zombie concept developed by Romero. There is always room for more zombie games. Also, I believe the concept is extremely interesting if you think of how people have become a bunch of mindless zombies going to the closest mall doing their daily shopping. So by buying a copy of DEAD RISING, you literally contribute to freeing the world from dummies (me be pushin my shoppin cart, me be doin great). At least, mentally.

 

@robert: 'dude' is like the coolest word in the world, no wonder we would pick it out.

 

As for words, and to react to the further input, we don't ponder them enough in my opinion, as languages have gotten us into cyborg-like behaviour, we're so full of easily convenient terms for all kinds of situations and there's no meaning left or at least some just don't listen to what that entails (this reminds me of AMERICAN PSYCHO, when Patrick Bateman admits to being into murders and executions and the girl in front of him won't even hear it and instead interpret that the way she feels the most comfortable with). But looking at words as a sign of intelligence, let me laugh. I doubt people will ever question their habits when it comes to communicating. If uttering foolish things like 'the man was butchered like a pig' sounds righteous to someone, they will certainly show little to no resistance or they wouldn't even dig it, maybe.

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