3 ms·

Why is 'colonies' in scare quotes?

by LAC-Tech 5y ago

dragonwriter 5y ago
If you don't know why it is in quotes, you shouldn't assume they are scare quotes.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- tshaddox 5y ago
  It’s a single common word in the middle of the sentence. Doesn’t it have to be a scare quote? It wouldn’t make much sense to actually be quoting just a single noun with zero context.
  - DonHopkins 5y ago
    They read like 'half scare quotes', not "scare quotes", to me -- 'mildly cautious quotes'. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/06/scare-quotes.html https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/06/scare-quotes.html >Are scare quotes scary? >[...] But the warning quotes you’re referring to, sometimes called “scare quotes,” should always be double quotes, not singletons, in American writing. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/the-scare-quote-2016-in-a-punctuation-mark/511319/ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/th... >The Scare Quote: 2016 in a Punctuation Mark >Doubled quotes developed as indications of a rational world. Now they’re developing as indications of the opposite.
aurizon 5y ago
I did not want to offend the USA/India whom eventually booted the brits
- irrational 5y ago
  Why would Americans be offended? I’m fairly certain it is common knowledge that we used to be a British colony.
  - ByteJockey 5y ago
    *several british colonies
  - throwawaysea 5y ago
    I’m not the person who posted that comment but I think the idea is that the phrase “colonies” diminishes those locations’ worth implicitly. It makes their role as a subjugated territory their defining identity and characteristic, rather than placing their individual sovereignty and identity first. I am guessing it’s not as much of a problem for America as for other colonized nations (non white, non European ones) where colonial rule lasted longer, was more brutal, and has had longer lasting impacts.
- Waterluvian 5y ago
  You mean basically all of them.

Why is 'colonies' in scare quotes?

dragonwriter 5y ago

If you don't know why it is in quotes, you shouldn't assume they are scare quotes.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
tshaddox 5y ago
It’s a single common word in the middle of the sentence. Doesn’t it have to be a scare quote? It wouldn’t make much sense to actually be quoting just a single noun with zero context.
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  They read like 'half scare quotes', not "scare quotes", to me -- 'mildly cautious quotes'. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/06/scare-quotes.html https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/06/scare-quotes.html >Are scare quotes scary? >[...] But the warning quotes you’re referring to, sometimes called “scare quotes,” should always be double quotes, not singletons, in American writing. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/the-scare-quote-2016-in-a-punctuation-mark/511319/ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/th... >The Scare Quote: 2016 in a Punctuation Mark >Doubled quotes developed as indications of a rational world. Now they’re developing as indications of the opposite.

aurizon 5y ago

I did not want to offend the USA/India whom eventually booted the brits

irrational 5y ago
Why would Americans be offended? I’m fairly certain it is common knowledge that we used to be a British colony.
- ByteJockey 5y ago
  *several british colonies
- throwawaysea 5y ago
  I’m not the person who posted that comment but I think the idea is that the phrase “colonies” diminishes those locations’ worth implicitly. It makes their role as a subjugated territory their defining identity and characteristic, rather than placing their individual sovereignty and identity first. I am guessing it’s not as much of a problem for America as for other colonized nations (non white, non European ones) where colonial rule lasted longer, was more brutal, and has had longer lasting impacts.
Waterluvian 5y ago
You mean basically all of them.