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> What do the scare quotes around "equal" mean? What is equal say? Is it that each country gets a vote, or is it that each human being gets a vote, or is it th
by saraid216 13y ago
> What do the scare quotes around "equal" mean?
What is equal say? Is it that each country gets a vote, or is it that each human being gets a vote, or is it that each privileged (definition variant on circumstance) human being gets a vote?
"Equal" is an ideal that sounds great until you realize other people may define it differently. It's easy to say that their definition is wrong, but that's the point at which you realize you don't actually have a say.
- rhizome 13y agoPerhaps, but doesn't the word carry those meanings without the quotation marks, too?
- saraid216 13y agoWith that logic, you'd never use quotation marks unless it's dialogue or quoting. The point is to draw attention to the fact that the meaning is not necessarily that which is immediately apparent.
- rhizome 13y agoThe point is to draw attention to the fact that the meaning is not necessarily that which is immediately apparent. Correct, and this is a paraphrase of the Wikipedia definition of "scare quotes." However, all scare quotes imply an unstated different usage, which, if you re-read, is what I was asking about. Generally, the solution for this invitation for misunderstanding is to use the proper words to convey the writer's meaning, or at least to use more words. I was simply asking for clarification before proceeding under a misunderstanding.