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> Within context: "The police are awful" is better for your mental health than "The Japanese police are awful". Except the entire purpose of that section of th
by brucephillips 9y ago
> Within context: "The police are awful" is better for your mental health than "The Japanese police are awful".
Except the entire purpose of that section of the post was to describe Japanese police.
- markburns 9y agoMy point is that the context there being 'in Japan' and so the adjective is redundant (and exhibits the problems I've mentioned earlier). And in that context he could say "The British police are awful" vs "The police are awful" To compare. And then, yes, when it becomes necessary then yes, prefix with the adjective. In some cases it does make sense and aid communication. I'm saying the blanket prefixing with the adjective is the problematic part. It's fine if you don't agree, it's just a communication pattern I have noticed that doesn't seem to benefit anyone.
- watwut 9y agoIsn't it just nitpicking? I have seen similar pattern when people talked about German police in context of Germany and Switz school system in context of Switzerland. People who switch countries often talk that way without it being an insult.
- markburns 9y agoI'm not asserting people should stop this communication anti-pattern for the sake of others or that it's an insult. I'm saying that framing things in this way can be bad for the mental health of the person who says it.