6 ms·

Please spare me that "war" simile, it only shows you're an American who can not write too well. It’s understandable that you don’t like the desensitization of

Please spare me that "war" simile, it only shows you're an American who can not write too well. It’s understandable that you don’t like the desensitization of war that comes from our over usage of the word. Perhaps it speaks to a defect in American culture but this is how we communicate in our language. I think Arabic has too much emphasis on allah related phrases. But that’s how they speak. Nothing I can do about it. I don’t think said usage implies anything about their writing abilities.

wizzwizz4 2y ago
English has a lot of "oh my god", "god-willing", "oh god", "god no", too.
- skhunted 2y ago
  It was pointed out that in American English we overuse "war". I pointed out a language that overuses a different word. I imagine most languages have a bunch of phrases involving an overused word. My point was that this phenomenon isn't unique to American English. Your response is that English also overuses another word. I don't understand the point you are trying to make.
  - maronato 2y ago
    Your response needlessly called out Arabic for using too much “Allah”. English overuses it the same amount, given that Allah is their word for God.
    - baseballdork 2y ago
      It was called out because OP used "Inshallah". The argument is that it's cultural, and complaining about it is silly.
    - skhunted 2y ago
      The point I was making is that this phenomenon occurs in other languages. Arabic and its phrases involving "allah" first came to mind. So how was this "needlessly"? I needed to give an example of this occurring in another language.
    - losvedir 2y ago
      > English overuses it the same amount Not even close! I only have experience in the Gulf but they use "allah" words all the time! "Alhamdulillah" (thank god) is pretty much part of the standard greeting (Pretty much just two people rapid firing a list of phrases at each other simultaneously "peace be with you / and also peace with you / how are you / thank god / how's the family / thank god") and a frequent response to almost any question. Anything dealing with the future or uncertainty will bring in "Inshallah" (God willing). I remember the first time I asked my cab driver to take me to my destination and he said "Inshallah" that did not give me confidence! Then there's "bismallah" and "mashallah" which I heard a bunch. And I'm not sure if we can count "yallah, yallah" which is like "hurry, hurry, let's go" which you hear all the time and is derived from "Ya Allah". I would be willing to bet that Gulf Arabic speakers say "Allah" literally at least 10x if not 100x more than Americans say "God".
      - sourcepluck 2y ago
        For one of your next trips I suggest a few months in Ireland, and if you could in particular spend time living in a slightly more rural or at least small-town type family. Jaysus lads, that chap... Christ, sure how would ya... Holy lord! I've never heard... My God, did you hear... Lord help us and save us, she'd only... And I'm leaving out the more vulgar variants here. I'm not saying we'd beat some of the Arabic countries, but I definitely am saying we very well might give them a good run for their money. I'll consciously try tone it down if I'm conversing with a non-Irish person, and then with my family I'll let loose. Maybe Americans use God-related idioms a lot less than us, of course. The U.S. is a relatively big place though, so I'd be curious to know if there aren't some corners closer to (rural?) Ireland's usage.
      - Auracle 2y ago
        I had a photoshoot scheduled with a young Somali man. He was late by over an hour, and I had another shoot after so I had to cancel. I rescheduled and told him if he was late for the next shoot I wouldn’t be rescheduling again. He said he wouldn’t be…inshallah. I know it’s part of their language but just as with your cab example it can be a bit annoying as an outsider, as it feels like they’re passing off responsibility. I feel the same way about some of the things Christians say too, for what it’s worth. Anyways, that’s my infuriating inshallah story. He was late again - and he needed to find another photographer after that.
    - slibhb 2y ago
      Nah. English speakers use God-based exclamations from time to time but they generally do not pepper their sentences with "God willing", "praise God," etc like Arabs do. That said, I do not care at all that Arabs used "God" a lot or that Americans (supposedly) use "war" a lot. If anything, I like these sorts of differences.
    - Suppafly 2y ago
      >English overuses it the same amount, Nah, even a short interaction with a muslim would key you into the fact that they use allah based phrases way more often than the typical american or christian.
Smithalicious 2y ago
Let's split the difference and start talking about the "jihad on drugs"
- skhunted 2y ago
  Nice. I think it would probably be more effective propaganda to say the "jihad on Christmas" than the "war on Christmas".
  - sroussey 2y ago
    The “war on Christmas” was thought up by a think tank and agreed upon by a group of conservative media that meet weekly to decide agenda to push across talk radio, tv, online. Truly an American phenomenon.
    - pessimizer 2y ago
      Think tanks that create agendas for groups who meet regularly to decide how to push those agendas through the media and through their politicians are not an American phenomenon, and not specifically conservative. The people who you work for (and who everyone works for) are probably loosely associated with tons of them.
creer 2y ago
> [war] is how we communicate in our language. Is it? Or is it how marketing communicates? (Which apparently is then spilling into how you communicate?)
- skhunted 2y ago
  One influences the other. We have always been at war with Eastasia.

wizzwizz4 2y ago

English has a lot of "oh my god", "god-willing", "oh god", "god no", too.

skhunted 2y ago
It was pointed out that in American English we overuse "war". I pointed out a language that overuses a different word. I imagine most languages have a bunch of phrases involving an overused word. My point was that this phenomenon isn't unique to American English. Your response is that English also overuses another word. I don't understand the point you are trying to make.
- maronato 2y ago
  Your response needlessly called out Arabic for using too much “Allah”. English overuses it the same amount, given that Allah is their word for God.
  - baseballdork 2y ago
    It was called out because OP used "Inshallah". The argument is that it's cultural, and complaining about it is silly.
  - skhunted 2y ago
    The point I was making is that this phenomenon occurs in other languages. Arabic and its phrases involving "allah" first came to mind. So how was this "needlessly"? I needed to give an example of this occurring in another language.
  - losvedir 2y ago
    > English overuses it the same amount Not even close! I only have experience in the Gulf but they use "allah" words all the time! "Alhamdulillah" (thank god) is pretty much part of the standard greeting (Pretty much just two people rapid firing a list of phrases at each other simultaneously "peace be with you / and also peace with you / how are you / thank god / how's the family / thank god") and a frequent response to almost any question. Anything dealing with the future or uncertainty will bring in "Inshallah" (God willing). I remember the first time I asked my cab driver to take me to my destination and he said "Inshallah" that did not give me confidence! Then there's "bismallah" and "mashallah" which I heard a bunch. And I'm not sure if we can count "yallah, yallah" which is like "hurry, hurry, let's go" which you hear all the time and is derived from "Ya Allah". I would be willing to bet that Gulf Arabic speakers say "Allah" literally at least 10x if not 100x more than Americans say "God".
    - sourcepluck 2y ago
      For one of your next trips I suggest a few months in Ireland, and if you could in particular spend time living in a slightly more rural or at least small-town type family. Jaysus lads, that chap... Christ, sure how would ya... Holy lord! I've never heard... My God, did you hear... Lord help us and save us, she'd only... And I'm leaving out the more vulgar variants here. I'm not saying we'd beat some of the Arabic countries, but I definitely am saying we very well might give them a good run for their money. I'll consciously try tone it down if I'm conversing with a non-Irish person, and then with my family I'll let loose. Maybe Americans use God-related idioms a lot less than us, of course. The U.S. is a relatively big place though, so I'd be curious to know if there aren't some corners closer to (rural?) Ireland's usage.
    - Auracle 2y ago
      I had a photoshoot scheduled with a young Somali man. He was late by over an hour, and I had another shoot after so I had to cancel. I rescheduled and told him if he was late for the next shoot I wouldn’t be rescheduling again. He said he wouldn’t be…inshallah. I know it’s part of their language but just as with your cab example it can be a bit annoying as an outsider, as it feels like they’re passing off responsibility. I feel the same way about some of the things Christians say too, for what it’s worth. Anyways, that’s my infuriating inshallah story. He was late again - and he needed to find another photographer after that.
  - slibhb 2y ago
    Nah. English speakers use God-based exclamations from time to time but they generally do not pepper their sentences with "God willing", "praise God," etc like Arabs do. That said, I do not care at all that Arabs used "God" a lot or that Americans (supposedly) use "war" a lot. If anything, I like these sorts of differences.
  - Suppafly 2y ago
    >English overuses it the same amount, Nah, even a short interaction with a muslim would key you into the fact that they use allah based phrases way more often than the typical american or christian.

Smithalicious 2y ago

Let's split the difference and start talking about the "jihad on drugs"

skhunted 2y ago
Nice. I think it would probably be more effective propaganda to say the "jihad on Christmas" than the "war on Christmas".
- sroussey 2y ago
  The “war on Christmas” was thought up by a think tank and agreed upon by a group of conservative media that meet weekly to decide agenda to push across talk radio, tv, online. Truly an American phenomenon.
  - pessimizer 2y ago
    Think tanks that create agendas for groups who meet regularly to decide how to push those agendas through the media and through their politicians are not an American phenomenon, and not specifically conservative. The people who you work for (and who everyone works for) are probably loosely associated with tons of them.

creer 2y ago

> [war] is how we communicate in our language. Is it? Or is it how marketing communicates? (Which apparently is then spilling into how you communicate?)

skhunted 2y ago
One influences the other. We have always been at war with Eastasia.