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Started 3 years ago by rus
Latest reply from Walker

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joev
Merion Village
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Cookie wrote >>

rus wrote >>
Huh.
Doesn't say "hysterical" at all.

hysterical
1615, from L. hystericus "of the womb," from Gk. hysterikos "of the womb, suffering in the womb," from hystera "womb" (see uterus). Originally defined as a neurotic condition peculiar to women and thought to be caused by a dysfunction of the uterus. Hysterics is 1727; hysteria, abstract noun, formed 1801.

So?
People using that term mostly don't know the origin, and use it equally when referring to women or Glen Beck.
Etymology is no proof of sexism. Women can testify, men can be hysterical.

Posted 3 years ago #
rus

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Oxford American Dictionary:

hysterical |hiÃ‹Ë†sterikÃ‰â„¢l|
adjective
1 deriving from or affected by uncontrolled extreme emotion : hysterical laughter | the band was mobbed by hysterical fans.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ informal extremely funny : her attempts to teach them to dance were hysterical.
2 Psychiatry relating to, associated with, or suffering from hysteria : the doctor thinks the condition is partly hysterical.
Ã¢â‚¬Â¢ another term for histrionic (denoting personality disorder).
DERIVATIVES
hysterically adverb : [as submodifier ] isn't it hysterically funny?

Seems a bit of a reach to be offended by a word's origin rather than it's meaning.

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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joev wrote >>
So?
People using that term mostly don't know the origin, and use it equally when referring to women or Glen Beck.
Etymology is no proof of sexism. Women can testify, men can be hysterical.

I didn't say that it was proof of anything. It's use here most likely shows a bit of a blind spot.

Posted 3 years ago #
rus

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Cookie wrote >>

joev wrote >>
So?
People using that term mostly don't know the origin, and use it equally when referring to women or Glen Beck.
Etymology is no proof of sexism. Women can testify, men can be hysterical.

I didn't say that it was proof of anything. It's use here most likely shows a bit of a blind spot.

So why did you bring up "hysterical" as related to Stalin? You're really offended by a word's origin?

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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rus wrote >>
So why did you bring up "hysterical" as related to Stalin? You're really offended by a word's origin?

I never claimed to be offended, and the origin of a word is part of its meaning, regardless of whether or not someone uses a word in ignorance of that meaning.

Posted 3 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Cookie wrote >>

rus wrote >>
So why did you bring up "hysterical" as related to Stalin? You're really offended by a word's origin?

I never claimed to be offended, and the origin of a word is part of its meaning, regardless of whether or not someone uses a word in ignorance of that meaning.

But if they don't know, does it imply sexism? And if they do know, but also know that the word isn't used in its 17th century context anymore, does it imply sexism?

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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joev wrote >>
But if they don't know, does it imply sexism?

I'd say that it implies an ignorance of sexism.

And if they do know, but also know that the word isn't used in its 17th century context anymore, does it imply sexism?

The word was used to mean that much more recently than the 17th century, and still carries the connotations.

Posted 3 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Cookie wrote >>

joev wrote >>
But if they don't know, does it imply sexism?

I'd say that it implies an ignorance of sexism.

I disagree completely. Maybe it implies an ignorace of a liberal arts higher education, but I don't think you can infer much beyond that.

Posted 3 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Cookie wrote >>

joev wrote >>
But if they don't know, does it imply sexism?

I'd say that it implies an ignorance of sexism.

And if they do know, but also know that the word isn't used in its 17th century context anymore, does it imply sexism?

The word was used to mean that much more recently than the 17th century, and still carries the connotations.

So all the people who used the word here are ignorant of sexism?
Consider me phlegmatic with regard to your theory. And by that I don't mean full of snot.

Posted 3 years ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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joev wrote >>
So all the people who used the word here are ignorant of sexism?
Consider me phlegmatic with regard to your theory. And by that I don't mean full of snot.

I believe that in this case, this use of the word hysterical in the context of a discussion about sexism indicates an incomplete understanding of the subject.

Posted 3 years ago #
HeySquare
German Village
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Cookie wrote >>

joev wrote >>
So all the people who used the word here are ignorant of sexism?
Consider me phlegmatic with regard to your theory. And by that I don't mean full of snot.

I believe that in this case, this use of the word hysterical in the context of a discussion about sexism indicates an incomplete understanding of the subject.

Or a complete understanding, and using the word with intent to include its origins

Posted 3 years ago #
gramarye
In Exile
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I can't believe all this hysteria* about one word.

However, if we accept that feminists are generally perceived as "liberal" and generally perceived as being like Cookie (both of which I forthrightly admit are only broad** generalizations), I think it becomes a little bit clearer why many people in this country still identify as conservative despite giving Democrats the White House and commanding political margins in Congress.

* :-P

** "Broad" as in "extending far and wide" or "large in scope," in case that needed clarifying.

Posted 3 years ago #
TaraK
shoe-mocker
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Now who is lacking a sense of humor? Cookie was making a joke about the appropriateness of calling a woman "hysterical" for expressing stuff, as that word was originally applied to women to imply that they had womb-created madness. She was making a joke.

You are right but Testosterone does and it causes men to have more endurance and to work harder then a women could on somethings. Their are some things women can't do the sooner people get that the better off they will be.

Is there a hormone responsible for strength of grammar? Punctuation? You need a supplement.

"Working harder," by the way, or work ethic and resolve, has never been attributed to testosterone.

Posted 3 years ago #
groundrules

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I think we need a dictionary definition of 'work' in order to continue.

Posted 3 years ago #
greenhouse1014
Columbus
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TaraK wrote >>
Now who is lacking a sense of humor? Cookie was making a joke about the appropriateness of calling a woman "hysterical" for expressing stuff, as that word was originally applied to women to imply that they had womb-created madness. She was making a joke.

You are right but Testosterone does and it causes men to have more endurance and to work harder then a women could on somethings. Their are some things women can't do the sooner people get that the better off they will be.

Is there a hormone responsible for strength of grammar? Punctuation? You need a supplement.
"Working harder," by the way, or work ethic and resolve, has never been attributed to testosterone.

Well, in some sense, the term "working hard" could refer to something that only a man could accomplish.

wait for it...

Posted 3 years ago #
TaraK
shoe-mocker
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greenhouse1014 wrote >>

TaraK wrote >>
Now who is lacking a sense of humor? Cookie was making a joke about the appropriateness of calling a woman "hysterical" for expressing stuff, as that word was originally applied to women to imply that they had womb-created madness. She was making a joke.

You are right but Testosterone does and it causes men to have more endurance and to work harder then a women could on somethings. Their are some things women can't do the sooner people get that the better off they will be.

Is there a hormone responsible for strength of grammar? Punctuation? You need a supplement.
"Working harder," by the way, or work ethic and resolve, has never been attributed to testosterone.

Well, in some sense, the term "working hard" could refer to something that only a man could accomplish.
wait for it...

Scientifically, totally possible. Less profile.

Posted 3 years ago #
rus

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TaraK wrote >>
Now who is lacking a sense of humor? Cookie was making a joke about the appropriateness of calling a woman "hysterical" for expressing stuff, as that word was originally applied to women to imply that they had womb-created madness. She was making a joke.

I freely admit to having a warped sense of humor, but I'm not seeing that. If anything, I read her as being serious.

Posted 3 years ago #
TaraK
shoe-mocker
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Rus, she said she wasn't offended by the word.

I don't know anyone who understand the original uses of the word that doesn't also understand that it can be used in a non-sexist way to describe madness, chaos. (Ex: When we were in NY and the Jonas Brothers came out of a building, the mass hysteria was terrifying. [True story.])

Hysterical remedies actually have a funny history, though. Any time women were depressed, unhappy, angry, whatever, doctors would day that they were suffering from hysteria. The "treatment" was to massage the pelvic area, which seemed to make the women feel better. The docs thought it was because they were relaxing the womb/uterine muscles. They would even use water massage. It took years for them to realize they were just masturbating the women to orgasm.

Hence the creation of the first vibrators and their marketing as treatment for female hysteria, womb problems, etc. That always cracks me up.

Check out lower portion of Sears ad:

Posted 3 years ago #
drew

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Cookie's "joke" (yeah, right) was "hysterical".

Posted 3 years ago #
rus

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TaraK wrote >>
Check out lower portion of Sears ad

Ok, reading down the center column if you're moving from vibrator attachments to buffer and grinder attachments... wow.

Posted 3 years ago #