Lexicological Aside No. 2 (Plus a Few Filthy Musings)
Many posts ago, I purloined an acronym for use in describing a particular interest community unique to the developed world, thus ushering in my role as the natural successor to Eric Partidge* and Vita ab Alto's role as the repository (or is that 'suppository?' Those terms always confuse me) of the most cutting-edge linguistic innobvation in the English-speaking world (...uh...including "innovative" spelling, as you'll note...)
Proof of Vita ab Alto's pudding came shortly thereafter, in a post where I stole the Russian term "samodovolnost'" for use in English. Still later, I half-jokingly identified the representative ideology of the Left in the developed world as "Liacrism:" Leftist, internationalist, anti-Christian, relativist secular materialism. I find that, despite the lyrical, almost dancing-elf soundof the acronym, it is redundant and does not capture the spirit of the the thing named. I came up with it on the spur of the moment, but it is clear that it will not abide. I gave the matter some additional thought and have rendered the name until only its essence is left:
Secular Communitarian Utopian Materialists
Yep. SCUM.
I know, I know...it may sound derogatory, but I assure you that I had NO intention of sounding that way. It was purely accidental and derived simply and naturally from the component pieces of the ideology:
"Secular" accounts for the anti-religious aspect -- especially the fervent, almost Freud-like hostility to any form of Christianity. Foamy the Squirrel has an excellent little summary of how this prejudice often manifests itself. He even uses the term correctly. (Google it y'ownsef. Oh, all right... PARENTAL ADVISORY -- SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH.)
"Communitarian" accounts for the socialist impulse -- whether of the "national" variety, a la our friends the Islamists, or the standard, garden-variety California-style Marxist-Leninists (y'know, like Nancy Pelosi:)
"Utopian" accounts for the fact that most members of the idiotarian crowd wish, in the memorable words of William F. Buckley, to "imminentize the eschaton;" to bring about a New Age, usher in Mankind's Next Phase, or behold the Bold New Dawn. THEY will bring it about; just you sit back, watch "Kate and Leopold," and let them worry about the future.
"Materialists" completes the "secular-" meme, since members of this group do not believe in any intelligence greater than mankind, or that mankind has any enduring nature -- he is, instead, infinitely malleable and can be molded as needed by the demands of the Great New Age that they are trying to bring about. It is possible, of course, to be a secularist and not a materialist and vice versa.
Holding any one of the tenets as holy writ gets you honorary membership in the International Society of SCUM. Holding two or more makes you a dues-paying member, so PAY UP, SCUMbags!
Monk
* Eric Honeywood Partidge, Kiwi author of A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English and pretty much the authority for many years of the meaning and implications of new slang terms in English. I have a copy of the unabridged 1970 edition (the best), now sadly very hard to find, even in professional academic libraries. Of note to Oh!Susanna, he's also the author of a well-received text on 18th-century English poetry.
PS: Yes, I know comments are broken. When I can figure out what I screwed up, HTML-wise, they'll be back. I know y'all are holding your collective breath...
Proof of Vita ab Alto's pudding came shortly thereafter, in a post where I stole the Russian term "samodovolnost'" for use in English. Still later, I half-jokingly identified the representative ideology of the Left in the developed world as "Liacrism:" Leftist, internationalist, anti-Christian, relativist secular materialism. I find that, despite the lyrical, almost dancing-elf soundof the acronym, it is redundant and does not capture the spirit of the the thing named. I came up with it on the spur of the moment, but it is clear that it will not abide. I gave the matter some additional thought and have rendered the name until only its essence is left:
Secular Communitarian Utopian Materialists
Yep. SCUM.
I know, I know...it may sound derogatory, but I assure you that I had NO intention of sounding that way. It was purely accidental and derived simply and naturally from the component pieces of the ideology:
"Secular" accounts for the anti-religious aspect -- especially the fervent, almost Freud-like hostility to any form of Christianity. Foamy the Squirrel has an excellent little summary of how this prejudice often manifests itself. He even uses the term correctly. (Google it y'ownsef. Oh, all right... PARENTAL ADVISORY -- SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH.)
"Communitarian" accounts for the socialist impulse -- whether of the "national" variety, a la our friends the Islamists, or the standard, garden-variety California-style Marxist-Leninists (y'know, like Nancy Pelosi:)
Pelosi: I am NOT a scumbag!
"Utopian" accounts for the fact that most members of the idiotarian crowd wish, in the memorable words of William F. Buckley, to "imminentize the eschaton;" to bring about a New Age, usher in Mankind's Next Phase, or behold the Bold New Dawn. THEY will bring it about; just you sit back, watch "Kate and Leopold," and let them worry about the future.
"Materialists" completes the "secular-" meme, since members of this group do not believe in any intelligence greater than mankind, or that mankind has any enduring nature -- he is, instead, infinitely malleable and can be molded as needed by the demands of the Great New Age that they are trying to bring about. It is possible, of course, to be a secularist and not a materialist and vice versa.
Holding any one of the tenets as holy writ gets you honorary membership in the International Society of SCUM. Holding two or more makes you a dues-paying member, so PAY UP, SCUMbags!
Monk
* Eric Honeywood Partidge, Kiwi author of A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English and pretty much the authority for many years of the meaning and implications of new slang terms in English. I have a copy of the unabridged 1970 edition (the best), now sadly very hard to find, even in professional academic libraries. Of note to Oh!Susanna, he's also the author of a well-received text on 18th-century English poetry.
PS: Yes, I know comments are broken. When I can figure out what I screwed up, HTML-wise, they'll be back. I know y'all are holding your collective breath...
posted by Monk | 03:52
