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Taste is entirely a personal preference. The trick is to get other people to agree with your own. It's hard to look at the drastically different ideas of what i

Taste is entirely a personal preference. The trick is to get other people to agree with your own. It's hard to look at the drastically different ideas of what is "tasteful" across different cultures and believe that there's any such thing as a universal view on it. We only have that mindset because Western/American culture in particular has been promulgated across the world and poeple in Hollywood or SV have chosen what is or isn't fine. Also, who cares if people label you for your use of language. Those people can get over themselves. Some of the linguistic tricks from those in the lowest rungs of society now dominate our discourse and it's because they didn't care.

pdabbadabba 11y ago
Well you should care if you want to be hired, published, or generally taken seriously in certain environments. (Note that speaking "proper" English is not always what you want either; there are some social situations where other dialects will get you farther -- and, of course, all of this also applies to languages other than English.) But I also take your point. The problem--as is often the case with various forms of stereotyping--is that such preconceptions are simultaneously useful as indicators about a person you are dealing with (such as level of education), but also deserving of serious skepticism since they can have the effect of disadvantaging certain groups, cause you to miss interesting opportunities, and generally making life less interesting by enforcing a stultifying uniformity.
- tsotha 11y ago
  It's pretty normal to switch between styles of speech depending on the situation. Word and grammar choices you use with a good friend are different than those you'd use in a television interview are different than those you'd use in court. There are times in your life in which you need to speak with precision, and that means using generally agreed upon grammar and vocabulary. There's no harm in breaking those rules in everyday speech, but you should know them.
nothrabannosir 11y ago
Also, who cares if people label you for your use of language. Those people can get over themselves. Theoretically true, but how far are you willing to go to defend this? E.g., how much less are you willing to earn per year? How much risk do you want to take for your children not getting into that school you have your eye on? What about getting that promotion "because the boss thinks you show promise"? Having the benefit of the doubt is a powerful thing, and it makes or breaks decisions in or out of your favor every single day. That is, assuming you're living in a society, of course. If you're crazy Chad in his forest cabin, then, by all means, talk to the spirits in any tongue you please.
marcosdumay 11y ago
Ok, it's a set of personal preferences mostly shared by the entire human population (and other mammals to a lesser degree). Yes, there is some variance, but it's much smaller than the shared parts. In reality, everybody cares if people labels them, and for good reason, because we depend on collaboration with others for satisfying about 100% of needs, some of what are exact variants of "collaboration with others", like socialization.
mindcrime 11y ago
It's hard to look at the drastically different ideas of what is "tasteful" across different cultures and believe that there's any such thing as a universal view on it. Well said, have an upvote. Taking a global view really does put things in a different light. It reminds me of the old saw about atheists telling Christians: "We're both Atheists, I just believe in one fewer God than you do". When you step back and realize that there are thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of religions and deities, it is kinda eye opening. And you can apply that thinking to many (most?) things. OTOH, if you do find any universal patterns shared across all (or most) human societies and cultures, then it probably means something important. :-)

pdabbadabba 11y ago

Well you should care if you want to be hired, published, or generally taken seriously in certain environments. (Note that speaking "proper" English is not always what you want either; there are some social situations where other dialects will get you farther -- and, of course, all of this also applies to languages other than English.) But I also take your point. The problem--as is often the case with various forms of stereotyping--is that such preconceptions are simultaneously useful as indicators about a person you are dealing with (such as level of education), but also deserving of serious skepticism since they can have the effect of disadvantaging certain groups, cause you to miss interesting opportunities, and generally making life less interesting by enforcing a stultifying uniformity.

tsotha 11y ago
It's pretty normal to switch between styles of speech depending on the situation. Word and grammar choices you use with a good friend are different than those you'd use in a television interview are different than those you'd use in court. There are times in your life in which you need to speak with precision, and that means using generally agreed upon grammar and vocabulary. There's no harm in breaking those rules in everyday speech, but you should know them.

nothrabannosir 11y ago

Also, who cares if people label you for your use of language. Those people can get over themselves. Theoretically true, but how far are you willing to go to defend this? E.g., how much less are you willing to earn per year? How much risk do you want to take for your children not getting into that school you have your eye on? What about getting that promotion "because the boss thinks you show promise"? Having the benefit of the doubt is a powerful thing, and it makes or breaks decisions in or out of your favor every single day. That is, assuming you're living in a society, of course. If you're crazy Chad in his forest cabin, then, by all means, talk to the spirits in any tongue you please.

marcosdumay 11y ago

Ok, it's a set of personal preferences mostly shared by the entire human population (and other mammals to a lesser degree). Yes, there is some variance, but it's much smaller than the shared parts. In reality, everybody cares if people labels them, and for good reason, because we depend on collaboration with others for satisfying about 100% of needs, some of what are exact variants of "collaboration with others", like socialization.

mindcrime 11y ago

It's hard to look at the drastically different ideas of what is "tasteful" across different cultures and believe that there's any such thing as a universal view on it. Well said, have an upvote. Taking a global view really does put things in a different light. It reminds me of the old saw about atheists telling Christians: "We're both Atheists, I just believe in one fewer God than you do". When you step back and realize that there are thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of religions and deities, it is kinda eye opening. And you can apply that thinking to many (most?) things. OTOH, if you do find any universal patterns shared across all (or most) human societies and cultures, then it probably means something important. :-)