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"Either using gender purely as a pejorative modifier is ok or it isn't." This is binary thinking, language is more flexible than this. What's more, bro-scienc
by lkey 5y ago
"Either using gender purely as a pejorative modifier is ok or it isn't."
This is binary thinking, language is more flexible than this.
What's more, bro-science isn't purely pejorative, it's /descriptive/ of something that is happening as we speak on bodybuilding forums.
Afaik the term was invented by 'bros' for 'bros' as a way to caution against being too credulous when folks were discussing their personal training regime, supplement 'stack' or what have you with steroids and testosterone.
The closest term for it here in this forum would be 'trading anecdata' or 'Why we chose X to build Z-corp'.
For obvious reasons, they organically settled on 'bro-science' and it's fine for it to be that way.
Programmers often do the the same thing (replace 'supplement stack' with 'tech stack'), and for much the same reason as the gym 'bros', good data is hard to come by, but you need to muddle on and choose /something/.
- harry8 5y agoLanguage is even flexible enough to be binary where that is appropriate. As indeed it is here. > What's more, wives-tales isn't purely pejorative, it's /descriptive/ of something that is happening as we speak among married women. Gentlemen who do body building, ladies who are married are not being described here. Choosing something better from the multitude of possibilities is hardly a blow for freedom, liberty and justice. The sun is gonna rise tomorrow. I can't see any reason not to do it and think it worthwhile if only to exercise our minds as to following principle. YMMV.
- ethanwillis 5y agoI don't think you understand language as much as you think you do. There are nuances terms acquire through usage that make them make more salient points than general terms such as "pseudoscience." For example the term "wives-tales" isn't just about gender. It brings forth to mind ideas that are incorrect and passed down through generations as correct knowledge. The full phrase is generally used as "old wives tale" The reason I used "bro-science" instead of a term like "pseudoscience" (or the other alternatives you mentioned) is because it came to mind first as it fits the nuance I'm going for. Which that nuance is not "Gentlemen who do body building." (As if only "gentlemen" do body building, ironically half of the body-builders I know are women). The nuance, if you're familiar with the term, is that it brings to mind something like "regular people who share opinions as if they're facts when they're actually opinions" (and they might be facts, but it's unknown). Or additionally it also brings in another nuanced meaning which is "an opinion that is shared by someone who expresses it strongly and reacts negatively if you question it" Your alternatives may share some of this, but not in the same way. If you want to invent a new-term and get it into the lexicon I'd be happy to use it.
- harry8 5y ago> The nuance, if you're familiar with the term, is that it brings to mind something like "regular people who share opinions as if they're facts when they're actually opinions" I can't help you, sorry. I wonder what we did for all those centuries before "bro-science" was coined and heard by some of us here for the first time. I expect wives-tales was popular for some of it.
- ethanwillis 5y agoI guess some of us are unfortunately born as лох
- lkey 5y agoYou don't understand language as well as you think. The 'wife' in 'old wive's tales' doesn't refer to 'ladies who are married' at all. Your view that /either/ of the terms is purely pejorative exists only in your head.