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Thursday, July 21. 2022Thursday morning linksMerriam-Webster Changes the Definition of ‘Female’ Peak Absurdity In The Woke Theater Professor: Policies Against Plagiarism Are Racist… Portland Parents Encouraged To Send Their Kids To “Social Justice Summer Camp” Success Academy shows again that public schools can excel Mayorkas: Never fear. The southern border is secure Progressives’ Carpet Bombing Of America Like everything else in Ukraine, there’s no way to know what’s actually happening there, but a few red flags should give American readers pause. Trackbacks
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Merriam-Webster Changes the Definition of ‘Female’ This is why I keep old dictionaries.
snopercod: Merriam-Webster Changes the Definition of ‘Female’ This is why I keep old dictionaries.
Dictionaries are based on practical lexicography. They report how people actually use words, not how you wish they were used, or how they were once used. Old books are cool, though. Jm01: So now despite my uterus and ovaries am I not only considered not to be a woman (because I don’t ‘feel like one’, whatever that means) I am no longer even female. Huh? Where do you get that from? Texan99: People are what they are, not what you guess they are So, you DO support trans identity. Dictionaries are based on practical lexicography.
Do you think it might be possible that lexicographers have political beliefs and might sometimes decide to let those beliefs influence their work? I dare you to go out on the street and poll 100 people on the sidewalk, from somewhere other than San Francisco, on how they define 'female', and record their answers on video. I'll watch the whole thing, I promise. The fact of publishers salting in new meanings of words into the primary definitions in their dictionaries, meanings that follow progressive ideology, is a well-established feature of the culture wars. They are not providing a definition; they are hoping their new definition will 'take', in much the same way as 'Push Polls' pretend they are sampling voter sentiments. You insisting it's all in our imagination is also one of the features of that war. Go away you annoying pest - Many of us think of you in November.
Aggie: I dare you to go out on the street and poll 100 people on the sidewalk, from somewhere other than San Francisco, on how they define 'female', and record their answers on video.
Most people would respond with the primary definition. That's what makes it the primary definition. Thomas Doubting: Do you think it might be possible that lexicographers have political beliefs and might sometimes decide to let those beliefs influence their work? Sure, it's possible. But people do make the distinction between gender and sex, and people frequently talk about gender identity. That means a lexicographic researcher will find numerous examples in published media to support the change. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender%20identity Aggie: The fact of publishers salting in new meanings of words into the primary definitions in their dictionaries, meanings that follow progressive ideology, is a well-established feature of the culture wars. Sorry reality doesn't conform to your ideology, but people do talk about gender identity; hence, a practical lexicographer will reflect that in their research. Polling indicates that most Americans believe gender is the same as sex assigned at birth, but a sizeable minority (38% per Pew Research) believe gender can differ from sex assigned at birth. The continued scam of changing definitions to meet the authoritarians needs. What is a vaccine, or perhaps what is the newest definition of cause of death? What is a women?
Changing definitions is becoming a habit of scammers. indyjonesouthere: The continued scam of changing definitions to meet the authoritarians needs.
We have provided evidence that people look at gender identity as not always that same as biological sex or as sex defined at birth. Dictionaries are reflective of usage, so it is appropriate for them to include the secondary definition. It's like the definition of "gay". If they only included the definition meaning "joyful", then you could be very confused about what people are talking about.
#1.1.3.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 12:14
(Reply)
That isn't evidence ... that is opinion.
#1.1.3.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 12:37
(Reply)
Yes, (((zachriel))) likes to misuse words.
indyjonesouthere: We have provided evidence that people look at gender identity
It's not an opinion that many people make a distinction between birth sex and gender identity, but an empirical observation supported by the Pew Research poll. Hence, a secondary definition was added to the dictionary to reflect this usage. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender%20identity
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 14:36
(Reply)
That's your opinion.
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 16:01
(Reply)
indyjonesouthere: That's your opinion.
We provided empirical evidence: (38% per Pew Research) believe gender can differ from sex assigned at birth.
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 16:10
(Reply)
You are trying to measure a fad. Those are opinions marketed by educators. More consider sex is assigned at birth than those in 2021 or 2017. The educators are losing the propaganda war.
Empirical evidence from a Pew Poll? Riiiiight.
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 17:22
(Reply)
"It's not an opinion that many people make a distinction between birth sex and gender identity"
Yes but they are mentally ill and it is cruel to feed their mental illness.
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.2
OneGuy
on
2022-07-21 17:16
(Reply)
OneGuy: Yes but they are mentally ill and it is cruel to feed their mental illness.
No, but even if so, the dictionary is based on practical lexicography. That is, dictionaries reflect how people use the language. If "gay" changes meaning from "joyful" to "homosexual", then dictionaries will reflect this change—regardless of your opinion of homosexuals or transsexuals. indyjonesouthere: You are trying to measure a fad. Dictionaries provide definitions based on how words are used. Practical lexicographers observe, then report. indyjonesouthere: Empirical evidence from a Pew Poll? Do you have some other empirical evidence that contradicts their results? Or are you just waving your hands?
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.3
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 17:31
(Reply)
Your "empirical" evidence shows your gender bender fad is losing to reality. Reality is not the friend of youthful imaginations or their youthful illusions.
The adults are another matter. They need medical counsel.
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.3.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 17:49
(Reply)
No! Homosexuality, trans sexuality and the other 56 genders belief is mental illness. Believing in it because you want to make them feel good about it is mass psychosis. You both need serious help!
#1.1.3.1.1.1.2.3.2
OneGuy
on
2022-07-21 22:54
(Reply)
Haha,
Once again (((zachriel))) proves she knows nothing about science. But she adds philology and linguistics to the list about which she is wholly ignorant. Go away you stereotypical liar. Oh, it gets even better.
male - having a gender identity that is the opposite of female female - having a gender identity that is the opposite of male Zachriel gets this right. What most people think is the best meaning or even a real meaning is not the issue. Whether some speakers of a language actually use a word according to a definition is (theoretically) the only criterion. If 99% hate a meaning but 1% use a word in that way, it goes in.
The most you can say - and I do think this is true and culturally driven - is that lexicographers might be slow to allow some meanings and quicker to allow others. Zachriel has made good points.
In this case, who is right isn't clear. Lexicographers CLAIM to work that way, based purely on objective usage research. Does anyone here have specific evidence that they actually worked that way in this particular case? Straightforwardly, I have no specific evidence that they did not follow their stated procedures here. Zachriel may well be perfectly correct. On the other hand, the attempt to control language has been a persistent leftwing goal for decades now. It is equally likely, if the lexicographers at Merriam-Webster are lefties, that they made this particular decision for political reasons. Lexicographers are human beings with all of the same flaws we see in other human beings. They are not robots basing all of their decisions on perfectly objective analyses of corpus linguistics databases. So, dictionary.com, based on the Random House dictionary, doesn't use that definition of female.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/female WordReference.com, drawing on both the Random House and Collins dictionaries, doesn't use that definition of female. https://www.wordreference.com/definition/female TheFreeDictionary.com, drawing on the American Heritage dictionary, doesn't use that definition of female. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/female The lexicographers at Merriam-Webster are doing something different from the rest of these lexicographers. This doesn't prove Zachriel wrong, of course, but it's interesting to note. Thanks for the Ukraine story. There's an example of the result of any red wave in November, nothing. The Uni-party continues on.
So now despite my uterus and ovaries am I not only considered not to be a woman (because I don’t ‘feel like one’, whatever that means) I am no longer even female. Great.
"Like everything else in Ukraine, there’s no way to know what’s actually happening there, but a few red flags should give American readers pause."
When you find that there's 'no way to know what's happening', that's the black flag covering up all the red flags, because that's when you realize it's by design. The Urkraine has been systematically stripping their government of the controls that limit criminal behavior, under the pretext of war time emergencies - while the US and others shovel money with no strings attached on audit and spending controls. Julian Assange has warned repeatedly that foreign wars like this one represent the biggest opportunity for plutocratic plunder by players on all sides of the political table, and it should be readily obvious now - from the long-standing business dealings of American political families (Biden, Romney, Pelosi, et al), to intercepted suitcases full of cash, to the spectacular crashes of cargo planes jammed with black market weapons, all exported from the Ukraine, that this is precisely what is going on. It's a giant money laundering operation, with 'all of us' as the cash-sponsoring chumps. Just remember 10% to the big guy and it all makes sense.
Just as AOC is now a multi-millionaire our politicians all decide to enter their career to do good and boy do they ever do good! Well now we know you're a paid Russian troll Comrade Aggieski - if that is your real name. Glorious Leader Zelinskyy is without fault, everyone around him is pure as the driven snow. How dare you raise questions about his actions and where all the money we're dumping into that black hole is going? Only a Putin supporter would look askance at how much money the military contractors are raking in compared to, say, Afghanistan with no accountability.
If I don't "feel like" what other people think a woman should feel like, that's their problem. Whatever I am is part of the wide variety of ways a woman can be. The definition of a woman as someone with XX chromosomes doesn't need to be tinkered with in order to accommodate my idiosyncrasies.
Same goes for men, blacks, redheads, chess champions, cancer sufferers, dockworkers, you name it. People are what they are, not what you guess they are on the basis of your prior experience with statistical patterns among groups. Ford Plans To Cut 8,000 Jobs To Help Fund EV Endeavors
But here is what I found interesting. QUOTE: In March, Farley fed the company's EV unit $50 billion and set out on an ambitious plan to build 2 million battery-electric vehicles per year by 2026 - which would eclipse the 27,140 sold in the US last year. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ford-plans-cut-8000-jobs-help-fund-ev-endeavors Will it happen, or is this a colossal blunder? There is literally not enough lithium available to build that many EVs. It looks to me like Ford is going to "mine" the U.S. treasury for free money.
OneGuy: There is literally not enough lithium available to build that many EVs.
Global known lithium reserves (not including lithium from seawater extraction) is about 20 million tonnes, enough for millions of electric vehicles. Australia has the largest reserves with about five million tonnes. That's nice. I wonder what type of ecological disaster that will create. Oh. wait, don't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain. My bad.
Don: I wonder what type of ecological disaster that will create.
Far less than projected damage from anthropogenic global warming. Also, lithium mining can be environmentally improved. In any case, lithium may be replaced by solid-state batteries in a few years. The world is rapidly industrializing. New technology must be devised to allow people to enjoy the fruits of modernity without causing vast damage to the Earth's climate and ecosystems. You are projecting again. Short term government funded narratives for AGW are no different than short term government funded narratives for covid or Russia, Russia, Russia or Ukraine.
From project Veritas ... https://generaldispatch.whatfinger.com/the-next-scam-was-exposed-by-project-veritas-climate-change-is-now-in-play-to-destroy-freedom/
#7.1.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 11:49
(Reply)
indyjonesouthere: Short term government funded narratives for AGW are no different than short term government funded narratives for covid or Russia, Russia, Russia or Ukraine.
Your political posturing doesn't change the scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming. You might start with the basics of the greenhouse effect. From physics, without the greenhouse effect, the Earth's surface would be a chilly -18°C rather than the balmy +15°C.
#7.1.1.1.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 12:19
(Reply)
Greenhouse effect?
I already demonstrated that you don't know a damn thing about how greenhouses work. Nor do you understand physics. I've called you out many times on this subject, and all you do is whimper that "it's physics." The claim of AGW suffers from a huge dearth of evidence, including any legitimate fundamental mechanism as to how it would occur. indyjonesouthere is completely right. You are a (((stereotypical))) liar. You prove that with every post. There is no, "...scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming."
#7.1.1.1.1.1.2
Erasmus
on
2022-07-21 15:48
(Reply)
Erasmus: There is no, "...scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming."
Sure there is. You might start with the greenhouse effect. But you ignored that already. Or don't you think there is a greenhouse effect for Earth's atmosphere?
#7.1.1.1.1.1.2.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 16:13
(Reply)
And (((he})) tries so hard to convince others with a rehash of his previous lies.
#7.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1
Zachinoff
on
2022-07-21 16:50
(Reply)
More empirical evidence for climate change fraud.
https://videos.whatfinger.com/2019/09/22/my-gift-to-climate-alarmists-climate-alarmists-debunked/ The best news lately is that a NYT poll (empirical evidence) indicates that only 1% rate climate change as a real problem. What do the dictionaries say about the lack of concern with climate change?
#7.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 19:25
(Reply)
Unless China and India change their way now we don't stand a chance. Until then I will drive my car. The only thing I can count on the government to do is screw it up at an exorbitated cost.
Don: Unless China and India change their way now we don't stand a chance.
A tragedy of the commons. Don: Until then I will drive my car. A tragedy of the commons exemplified.
#7.1.1.1.2.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 14:39
(Reply)
I guess I'm looking for leadership by example. So far I see very little. It appears to be just do as I say, not as I do. Wish I could act on the insider information that Nancy Pelosi does but I would go to jail in a New York minute.
#7.1.1.1.2.1.1
Don
on
2022-07-21 15:51
(Reply)
"Available"! I didn't say in the ground or seawater I said "available".
OneGuy: "Available"! I didn't say in the ground or seawater I said "available".
If they are known reserves, they are available—by definition: "A mineral reserve is that portion of a mineral resource that is economically mineable, based on assessments and other information." https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/mineral-reserve We have a billion times more oil "available" then lithium, and yet we can't get it. I'm not sure you know what "available" means.
#7.1.2.1.1
OneGuy
on
2022-07-21 11:25
(Reply)
OneGuy: We have a billion times more oil "available" then lithium, and yet we can't get it.
A mineral reserve is economically mineable—by definition. You made the claim that there wasn't enough lithium to meet Ford's goal, but that wasn't correct.
#7.1.2.1.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 12:22
(Reply)
"You made the claim that there wasn't enough lithium to meet Ford's goal, but that wasn't correct."
Where is it? Sitting in a warehouse? Offshore in a container ship? Where is this elusive lithium? You have no clue. It's still in the ground and not "available".
#7.1.2.1.1.1.1
OneGuy
on
2022-07-22 09:56
(Reply)
Where is it?: Where is it?
As noted, Australia has the largest reserves. OneGuy: It's still in the ground and not "available". Huh? Are there no mines? You don't mine it until it is needed. It's in the ground waiting for buyers.
#7.1.2.1.1.1.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-22 12:46
(Reply)
"He's A Public Employee. Fire his A**": Critics Call For Harbaugh To Be Canned For Coming Out As Pro-Life
QUOTE: Harbaugh is a devout Catholic and said that “I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born.” . . . The reaction was immediate and unhinged. Harbaugh was accused of being “full of deep seething hatred of women.” https://www.zerohedge.com/political/hes-public-employee-fire-his-critics-call-harbaugh-be-canned-coming-out-pro-life It would seem that, regardless of the Constitution, the authoritarians do insist on religious tests for legal acceptance into the public world.
indyjonesouthere: It would seem that, regardless of the Constitution, the authoritarians do insist on religious tests for legal acceptance into the public world.
If someone publicly expresses a religious belief (the curse of Ham) that Blacks are inferior and that they shouldn't mix with Whites, would that preclude a position of trust in the government? No. The democrats hold a religious belief that abortion should be legal right up to birth and some believe it should be legal in the 4th trimester. Has that precluded them from a position of trust in the government?
Z: If someone publicly expresses a religious belief (the curse of Ham) that Blacks are inferior and that they shouldn't mix with Whites, would that preclude a position of trust in the government?
indyjonesouthere: No. So, you are okay with racist police or others in authority. Can't imagine why so many Blacks don't think they can get a fair shake, or that racism is still endemic in America.
#8.1.1.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 14:44
(Reply)
So, you're OK with killing babies? Can't imagine while so many people (of all colors) consider the democrats to be barbarians.
#8.1.1.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 16:05
(Reply)
indyjonesouthere: So, you're OK with killing babies?
No. However, YOU did say YOU were okay with avowed racists being in positions of authority.
#8.1.1.1.1.1.1
Zachriel
on
2022-07-21 16:14
(Reply)
The entire democratic party backing barbarian abortions ARE in power. And you do back democrats.
#8.1.1.1.1.1.1.1
indyjonesouthere
on
2022-07-21 17:00
(Reply)
It is very strange that Monkey Pox came on the scene suddenly and now it has spread to 86 countries and tens of thousands of people. The sudden release and progression of Covid was strange also and we eventually found out it was a weaponized virus that may have been released and "pushed into multiple countries intentionally. To me it seems more likely than not that Monkey Pox is being "trafficked" into multiple countries intentionally to disrupt Western Democratic countries. Is this an act of terrorism or war?
I'm betting that when (not if) Biden declares a Monkey Pox emergency that he will also require masks even though the pox isn't spread by air. I'm not sure about the masks, but I'd put money on the idea that it will somehow require mail-in ballots, unattended ballot drop-boxes, shutting down schools and government offices that serve the public while continuing to pay the idle workers, and restrictions on public assemblies for political purposes except the approved mostly peaceful ones involving understandable passion.
Professor: Policies Against Plagiarism Are Racist…
Even a blind pig finds the occasional truffle. Professor Tichavakunda is spot on with his criticism of lock-down browsers and video surveillance for exam proctoring. But not because it's Orwellian, but because it's STUPID and LAZY. My students take their exams online--open book, with zero proctoring--because the exam questions are drawn at random from a very large test bank that I took time to write. The chance that two of my students get the same test is less than 1 in a billion. Otherwise, this guy's an idiot. Throughout my teaching career, I have encouraged my Greeks to keep their copies of exam questions and share with their frat brothers and sorority sisters as study aids. My university has a sufficiency of Greek (or pseudo-Greek) organizations actively recruiting Black and Hispanic students. None of whom show marked improvement in exam performance in my courses. Plagiarism? Lowering the boom on some poor hapless mook who was taught cut-and-paste-from-Google in high school seems a bit draconian. And involves paperwork, deans, and assorted appartchiks. Easier to deduct major points for poor or missing citations, and lines of argument that don't quite mesh together. Same effect, and no easy comeback (other than "he's one mean sonofabitch grader.") Half of Americans expect a second U.S. civil war within YEARS, more than 40% agree with 'great replacement theory' and nearly a fifth expect they will choose to bring a gun to a violent political row, alarming poll shows
50.1 percent expect to see a second American Civil War within years More than 40 percent favor a 'strong leader' over democracy and adhere to immigrant takeover belief One fifth expect to be gun-toting at a January 6 Capitol riot-style melee in the coming years QUOTE: Researchers at University of California, Davis uncovered worrying levels of ‘alienation’, ‘mistrust’ and a growing tendency to turn to violence in their recently-conducted survey of 8,620 adults across the country. More than two-thirds of respondents said they saw a ‘serious threat to our democracy’ and 50.1 percent agreed with the statement that ‘in the next few years, there will be civil war in the U.S.’ More than 40 percent said having a ‘strong leader’ was more important than democracy and that ‘native-born white people are being replaced by immigrants’ — a racist belief known as the ‘great replacement theory’. Researchers also uncovered a growing inclination to settle political rows with violence. Nearly a fifth of respondents said it was likely they would be ‘armed with a gun’ at a political flash point in the coming years, while 4 percent said it was likely they would ‘shoot someone with a gun’. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11032711/Americans-survey-violence-University-California-Davis-democracy-threat-civil-war-politics.html Red flags in the Ukraine.
https://donsuber.blogspot/2022/07/zelensky-is-arms-dealer.html Converting foreign military aid into corrupted cash for corrupted Zelensky. Is the 10% band of brothers involved? |