4 ms·
Can we call things as they are? We are all adults here.
by rererereferred 2y ago
Can we call things as they are? We are all adults here.
- larodi 2y ago[flagged]
- Spivak 2y agoBecause people recognize dog whistles when they see them. Calling Adderall amphetamines is literally correct, the generic is "amphetamine salts." Nobody denies it and so there's no reason to point it out in a discussion except as a means to tie someone's medication to the existing negative associations people have with amphetamines/speed/meth.
- lagniappe 2y agoMeth also is a prescribed medication in the form of Desoxyn
- larodi 2y agoReply is absolutely relevant to the sub thread discussing freedom of expression by grownups. It also successfully makes a point. No dog whistle here, no conspiracy theory, no offense, no rude speech, no nothing that you can read as a bait. Sorry the intent was different.
- linguae 2y agoAs a semi-functioning adult, I am sympathetic to the argument that the term “enshittification,” while accurate, is also too vulgar of a term in some settings. It’s one thing to use it on Hacker News, but I personally wouldn’t use this term at church or when talking to K-12 students. Not everything can be PG-13 all the time; sometimes we need G-rated language. There needs to be a more professional-sounding, G-rated term that describes the degradation of quality of software services.
- gjsman-1000 2y agoIf I was Apple or Microsoft, convincing people to use the term “enshittification” is actually the best possible outcome. Nobody can use it in a TV ad. Nobody can use it in political messaging. Nobody can use it in G-rated settings. Nobody can use it in a party platform. Nobody can use it on the debate stage. Nobody can use it in marketing on why they are better. Nobody can use it in a courtroom without being accused of bias. Nobody can use it who is generally soft-spoken or has strong cultural inhibitions. The term itself silences speech. Anyone who calls this out is labeled a prude, which is perfect from a corporate planning point of view. The only possible better outcome would be to use the term “assholeification” or something stronger. Call it “companies fucking with consumers” - that’s even better from a PR perspective.
- zmgsabst 2y agoWhy not use “degradation of software services” when you want to be staid — and let everyone else use the term they want? Inventing jargon with the intention of being boring is just hiding the issue with euphemisms.
- CooCooCaCha 2y agoYou’re just trying to shift the narrative to using a less impactful term.
- omoikane 2y agoRegardless of whether the word is vulgar, I often see it thrown around as a meme that has became overused. Even if the original phrase used different words, they will become less and less meaningful once they start appearing in every other comment thread.
- CooCooCaCha 2y agoIs it overused or does it apply to many things?
- krapp 2y agoYou're overstating the impact of the term. No one is going to change the world or overturn the status quo or shift the dominant paradigm by using slightly vulgar language. The only value it has is in the catharsis it provides by comparing something to shit. It isn't a technical term (even though it used to masquerade as one.), it's evocative, so let's be honest. People just like saying things they don't like are shit. It's snark. It's weirdly the only kind of snark that gets past HN's filter. And since "enshittification" is applied to everything now, and no longer refers to the specific context for which it was coined, we can say we're witnessing the enshittification of enshittification itself.