Big words = big brains?

[Utopmk]

No! There is the common misconception that when someone says or writes something, and they use big words, that they are more intelligent than someone who keeps it simple. Do you buy that? I think that certain words add color and beauty to speech, but some people take it too far, and care more for showing off than actually making a valid point.

:rant: It irritates me.

[Birdsnest]

Its funny you bring that up, because I think I agree. I find that those who purposefully keep it simple are trying to actually communicate something to people, rather than show how much more genious they may be in what they say.

[EternalCynic]

I completely agree. It drives me nuts, because I tend to keep things short and sweet. Then people will roll their eyes at me or cross their arms as if to say "Wow, talk about being slow." I don't like it when people go on and on and on, drawing things out, using "big pretty i r t3h smart" words. Just keep it simple so people can understand, vocabulary isnt everything.

[Division56]

I agree... although I might pull out my vocabulary in times of desperation to put someone in their place...

I never said I was innocent... :D

[CosmicDust]

The ability to use big words correctly may be a skill, but it need not be correlated with the ability to articulate thoughts/ideas well or the ability to communicate well in general.

[lakeplacid]

This is my first post in this forum (and I'm really surprised I never surfed into here before!) . I guess it just depends with big words, and you can always make out whether the use is intelligent, a show off, or a lapse of elegance, going by the flow of the language. I guess people who put thing simply in conversation are more respected as they come through as clear thinkers.
As for redundant long words, I guess floccinaucinihilipilification says it all! :-)

[Johnny]

I like to keep a dictionary handy or search Google, and am usually up to trying to understand or at least being curious. That lends to my speaking side. The hard part is that "keeping it simple" can cause problems too by being incomplete or ruling out valuable considerations. It's just not an easy call either way... :sombrero:

[Utopmk]

:angry:

[Hypnos]

know your audience

[int]

I agree... although I might pull out my vocabulary in times of desperation to put someone in their place...


Me too. I can be an arrogant bastard when I'm trying to hold power.

Otherwise, the K.I.S.S. method is my usual motive.

[Avengardh]

Eh...I do it without noticing if I ever do it. But I agree, beating around the bush makes me insane, just say it.

~*Aven*~

[jimkopelli]

Big words are only useful to me if there isn't another way to describe something, or the big word is actually shorter than explaining the concept. I was corresponding with this professor, and she was trying to baffle me with BS... so I sent her the same thing she had written, in plain english, as my reply. She spent two whole lines on "We'll find a way to figure this out."
Grr.

[Jkrs]

If using big words (or technical jargon; words don't have to be long to be opaque) is the best way to get the point across with the appropriate amount of clarity, by all means, use them. But if the aim is to get blank looks, why not do something that might be amusing for the rest of us, instead?

[file cabinet]

I prefer saying things that are simple to understand.

[Crazy]

I prefer to speak so that everyone can understand me. Generally, that means using small words, however military slang comes to play alot too.

[Vagabond]

I believe it is harder and wiser to be simple and to the point. If one uses difficult terms that no one understands anyway, one could be just full of crap.

Btw, being an arrogant smartass using complex terms etc is something I do too, if I want to make someone feel bad enough to get off my case :D

[Google Monster]

I prefer to use the basic small words with very defined meanings.

[NGene]

When someone uses big words excessively and explains things in a complicated way that is hard to understand, I usually get the impression he doesn't have any idea what he's talking about.

If someone is able to say things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, he comes across as a person who really understands what he's talking about. I admire the ability to explain complicated things in a simple way because I see it as an excellent demonstration of not only knowledge, but understanding.

Of course jargon and big words have their place, especially when discussing with people who understand and use them. And, like many people have said earlier, big words are an excellent way to scare unwanted people away. :D

I also like using jargon and/or big words as a joke, especially when they don't fit the context in which they're used. For example, describing human relationships in computer terms or using complicated language to describe simple things really crack me up. (Douglas Adams for example... ;))

[int]

My last job (tech support, usually over the phone) required me to break things own to very elementary principles. I often felt like I was talking to a second grader that happened to be in college. It drove me nuts sometimes but I was good at my job, which spanned anything from creating dialup connections to setting up routers. What was funny though was when the obviously clueless tried to relate with the big words and TLAs. I'd always break it down to 2nd grade level with them too, just to get them on the right course and off their high horse. Then elevate the conversation out of spite, and throw terms around they had no clue about. "Yeah, just call me if you run into any more problems" I'd end with.

Seems to have worked, as most never called me back.

[cloakable]

Hmm... I like to keep it as simple as possible, but since I generally only talk with people I consider intelligent, it's not too much of a problem if I use long words.

[GraviTass]

Verily I say that the size of the word shall prove the mettle of the man . He that prefers the Blarney Stone over the Stoney Silence has chosen the route of Loquacity . Verily , I say , this is the sure way to Hell . He shall be smitten by plague , pestillence and all else opposing garrulousness beginning with the letter 'P' .

[jimkopelli]

I was digging through me email, and I found the ones I was talking about.
I had ordered a textbook online, and I got the wrong edition. I wanted to have her look it over to see if it would still be useable for the class... and her reply included this lovely little bit.
"So at best if you bring it in and we can make the comparison in order to resolve the question and attain an equitable answer."
Wtf?
I live in the freaking Midwest. It's ok to speak in little words. You don't have to continuously prove that you're educated, having people call you "professor" does that.

[Claverhouse]

I live in the freaking Midwest. It's ok to speak in little words. You don't have to continuously prove that you're educated, having people call you "professor" does that.

[Affably]

Does the honorific still go to Snake-Oil Salesmen and the rather sinister chaps who lead troupes of Carnies about?



Btw, I just love that 'equitable'.




Claverhouse :ph34r:

[jimkopelli]

Nah, they all work in Branson now.
(Side note for the non-Missouri people... Branson is HELL. It's like all the lame parts of Vegas, run through Bible-Belt hicks. It has a few theme parks [Silver Dollar City is the main one... it's 1890's flavored...] and the rest is county music acts [which suck. I don't know personally.] The billboards are a blight upon the land... and no one who lives nearby goes to Branson if they can help it. Sure, it creates jobs, sure, it creates revenue... but the locals still have to tolerate it.)

My favorite part was "So at best if you..."
So at best? That doesn't even make sense! Maybe "So, it would be best..." because, oh, that makes SENSE, as opposed to "So at best".

[Claverhouse]

'Making the comparison' is pretty good too. Particularly if done together. P'raps she wants to get intimate.

But then, 'resolving a question' has it's merits.

This woman is a jewel, hug her close and never let her go.



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[jimkopelli]

You want to know what really cracks me up? She doesn't talk like this in person. In person, in fact... she's Soul Mama. I dearly hope not, on the intimacy... she's old enough to be my mother. I think I'll keep her at arm's length, thank you... and I have long arms.

[giftedmadness@hotmail.com]

It's good to write with as much clarity as possible, so your ideas shine and aren't hidden among big words, where the reader spends alot of time deciphering the meaning instead of comprehending the idea. However, it is good to know as many words as possible, so we can experience as many things as possible. For instance, if you only knew two ways to describe your state of being, as either happy or sad, I'm sure you would be missing out on alot of emotions and feelings and states of mind. New ways of describing things may lead to new ways of experiencing them.

[Google Monster]

"So at best..." would mean it can't get better wouldn't it?

[jimkopelli]

I dunno. The lady is a loon anyway.

[nobarcode]

"So at best if you bring it in and we can make the comparison in order to resolve the question and attain an equitable answer."

Given the context, I will use one of my favorite little phrases.:
"There are people out there who have been educated far beyond their intellectual ability."

[Johnny]

Has political correctness really gone this far?

[Claverhouse]

It has, but the major trouble with PC is that it inexorably promotes persons into places for which they would not have been selected in a more natural environment. Especially heavily conformist persons who believe in the rigours of PC and are willing to master the jargon.



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[jimkopelli]

It's the Peter principle, sure... But she knows her architecture. English may just be a hobby.

[Claverhouse]

Or yet another defenceless thing for her on which to wreak the latent sadism that lurks within us all.

Anyway, the profession of instructor did once imply a modicum of skill at communication, either verbal or in writing: preferably both, but one took the second as the more imperative of the two. ( eg: elderly professors of, say, Latin & Greek, in these Isles in earlier times probably had high squeaky voices, alarming accents, and no ability to project whatever, preferring to address the ceiling: but, boy, could they write a snappy paper on the Gerund and it's place in history ).

:rofl: :zzz:

[ Also, there hasn't been any architecture since 1919. ] :ph34r:



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[nobarcode]

Had I not known such political correctness would have spurned such interesting conversation, I would have would have just called her a fucktard. :cheers:

[Johnny]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[jimkopelli]

[ Also, there hasn't been any architecture since 1919. ]
Excuse me? Ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? I.M. Pei? The Sydney Harbor Opera House? Any major bridges? There's been a bit of acrhitecture since 1919. Sure, it's not Sir Christoper Wren... but he was just in the right place at the right time.

[Hypnos]

[ Also, there hasn't been any architecture since 1919. ]
Excuse me? Ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? I.M. Pei? The Sydney Harbor Opera House? Any major bridges? There's been a bit of acrhitecture since 1919. Sure, it's not Sir Christoper Wren... but he was just in the right place at the right time.
I.M. Pei's East Gallery in Washington, DC is my favorite building.

[Claverhouse]

[ Also, there hasn't been any architecture since 1919. ]
Excuse me? Ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? I.M. Pei? The Sydney Harbor Opera House? Any major bridges? There's been a bit of acrhitecture since 1919. Sure, it's not Sir Christoper Wren... but he was just in the right place at the right time.


I would shell it all.


Claverhouse :ph34r:


[ After having all animals above the size of a small spider withdrawn by heroic volunteers ]

[jimkopelli]

When was your house constructed?

[last_caress]

In response to the original intent of this post (I have no intention of reading each and every response).

Let me preface this by saying that as a youngster approx. 3-10, I developed a large vocabulary naturally and knew how to use it properly.
The main problem I had was that nobody else I associated with ie. my family, friends knew what the hell I was talking about when I used "big words" which came completely naturally.
I got so frustrated that I eventually dumbed down my speech to accomodate other people and have never completely gotten over being pissed off about it.

So, not everyone who uses "big words" is deliberately trying to be incomprehensible for the express purpose of ego inflation.
Some are yes, but some of us are just sick of dumbing it down.
Perhaps OTHER PEOPLE should increase their standards instead of me having to lower mine.

FUCKING MORONS.

[Utopmk]

FUCKING MORONS.

*kicks last_caress in the teeth* :rofl:

[jimkopelli]

In response to the original intent of this post (I have no intention of reading each and every response). Blah blah blah.

Why not? That's half the fun! Reading the posts prevents reiteration of things that have already been agreed upon. Yes, we all know big words. The trick is to know when to use them and when not to use them. If you learned big words at an early age, you must have either learned to read early or you weren't watching cartoons... so what's wrong with reading the posts in a forum? It's barely three pages.

[Johnny]

FUCKING MORONS.

*kicks last_caress in the teeth* :rofl:

With vocabulary like this, it's no wonder he stopped at the age of 10... :lol:

[Claverhouse]

When was your house constructed?

Around 20 - 30 years ago. But a/ it's rented ( and I can assure all you poor innocent colonials that house prices and rents in Britain have now got so far beyond a joke it's ********* unbelievable, so basically you have to take what you can get. ) = ( This is due to far more factors than you can imagine, rather than just simple greed and a deregulated market: but the major ones are, over-population: c 6 - 7 million in the 17th century to 60+ million now, and, the fact my country still wishes to punch above it's weight in the world, despite losing the baggage of Empire, so pursues costly policies antithetical to individual happiness: like all the new-built houses in GB are, for the same cost, 30% smaller than those in Europe. Which enables us to import doctors, nurses, carers, techies and thousand of other workers to do jobs we should be doing for ourselves, and not robbing from poorer countries ) and b/ I dislike it intensely.


In a saner world there would be much fewer people --- if including myself until that dread day when the Destroyer of All Things comes and puts me in His Pocket --- utilising the buildings and artifacts of the past: until they too fall apart, and are used as exact patterns for the construction of replacements. I despise the modern world.

:rofl:



Claverhouse :ph34r:



PS: You like Wren ? I never warmed up to the Palladian. Despite the fact that he served the Great King, I don't really care for Inigo Jones' stuff. Too modern. ;P

[jimkopelli]

I admire people who get an edge in... Wren, Gates, Carnegie, and many others that have been accused of monopolizing. (See? A necessary big word... wow, we're getting off topic...) Being the right person in the right place at the right time and making it big is nearly as hard as actually being good at all the stuff you'd need to do the same thing any other way.

Not a fan of modern, eh? Oh well, that's your business. I figure... that was then, and we've learned things since then, so it's pretty likely we might be able to do things better... plus, new materials have been created, old materials have been improved or have had new things done with them... I like new stuff. Not that all old stuff is bad... I just think we're still improving.

[Seraph]

When I was younger (like 12 or 13), I used to flip through dictionaries whenever I wrote a paper. Now I see how silly that was. If you're intelligent and insightful, it will show in your ideas and your flow of speech.

Although I will add that stupid people tend to have pretty limited vocabularies.

[jimkopelli]

Yeah, but there's a certain group at the upper end of average that wants to encroach, and those are your usual perpetrators of word butchery.

[Claverhouse]

that was then, and we've learned things since then, so it's pretty likely we might be able to do things better...

After a certain while we just degenerate.


plus, new materials have been created, old materials have been improved or have had new things done with them... .

Concrete, steel, plexi-glass and plastics are not superior. Nor, thank God, will they last.

http://www.intpcentral.com/uploads/bergrheinstein.jpeg
Berg Rheinstein am Rhine

http://www.intpcentral.com/uploads/willis_1_small.jpg
The infamous 'Black Slug of Ipswich'. Disgustingly constructed by a little creep called Norman Foster in 1975. Made of black glass. The Unitarian chapel near by looks quite pleasant in comparison.


Claverhouse :ph34r:



This is quite interesting ( but the modern stuff is dreck ): Great Buildings (http://www.greatbuildings.com/gbc.html)
despite having the soppy motto September 11, 2001, never forget.
Why Americans are so obsessed with this tragic event is weird, there have been worse things, the Rape of Nanking for one and Hiroshima for another; but it has nothing to do with architecture, except insofar as both buildings were hideous, rather poorly constructed, and the little chap who owned them is now trying to get the insurance twice over, presumably to build more monstrosities.

And from a saner world:
Medieval Castles in Finland (http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/castles.html)

[jimkopelli]

After a certain while we just degenerate.

Sure. We've degenerated into making buildings with things like plumbing and air conditioning and electricity and internet access. What is the world coming to? If the ancient Romans looked at a gothic cathdral, what would they think? The Romans had plumbing. Did the cathedrals?



Concrete, steel, plexi-glass and plastics are not superior. Nor, thank God, will they last.

Not superior... to what? Sure, stone lasts a long-ass time... but it's expensive. Cheaper is sometimes more important than aesthetics... because if it costs too much, it might never get built in the first place.

Black Slug, eh? :thumbdow: I never said all modern architecture was good, and I never said all (what's a good word...) classical architecture was bad. I said I liked modern better.

[Salad]

Yay!!!! an off-topic discussion on architecture!!!!

my opinions on the built world:


Ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? I.M. Pei? The Sydney Harbor Opera House? Any major bridges?

Frank Lloyd Wright was the genius he claimed to be. Many of his buildings were seriously flawed, but that's because everything he did he essentially invented and had no precedent to follow. The things he contributed to the profession are amazing, and because of him the modern built world is better.

I.M. Pei has gotten lucky a couple times, but I don't respect his work. He is simply another modernist who has put up glass and steel, granted it is better than what most modernists have done. The true genius of modernism was Mies van der Rohe. The ideas and forms he created were beautiful and complete. Unfortunately, regardless of how brilliant he was, most everyone who followed in his steps pretty much shit on his ideas (this actually happens with every style, just more so with modernism because it was so easy and cheap to build). Also, many of his buildings are ovens in the summer and freezers in the winter, making them just about as unlivable as say... a medieval castle.

The Sydney Opera House is incredible, I don't consider it modernism though, it goes with buildings such as Eero Saarinen's TWA terminal (1962) and Corbusier's Cathedral in Ronchamp (1955) in whatever classification you want to put those in. (Both Mies and Saarinen were on the competition committee for the Opera house. Saarinen refused to endorse any other entry and declared it was a work of genius while Mies declared it was shit)


Concrete, steel, plexi-glass and plastics are not superior. Nor, thank God, will they last.

Concrete was invented and used by the Romans. You may have heard of the pantheon before? As far as glass and steel are concerned, they are absolutely amazing if used correctly and the opposite if used poorly. I agree with you about plastics. They are cheap though, and so will continue to be used.


The infamous 'Black Slug of Ipswich'. Disgustingly constructed by a little creep called Norman Foster in 1975. Made of black glass. The Unitarian chapel near by looks quite pleasant in comparison.

I don't really like Norman Foster much aesthetically, but he has done wonders for the profession technologically and environmentally. My favorite technology centered architect however is Renzo Piano, who also does a lot of environmental work.

As far as past architects and architecture, a few of my favorites are Antonio Gaudi (the poster-child of Art Nouveau), most Gothic architecture is incredible (like most religious architecture it was financed by donated materials and labor), Greek and Roman architecture has it's place as well as most major civilizations', Asian architecture in general is usually very impressive.

And of course present architects- Tadao Ando is incredible and a master of concrete. Herzog and de Meuron are awesome but often overlooked (they remodeled the Tate Modern in London if you want to check it out Claverhouse), Santiago Calatrava has made a huge impact the last couple years and will continue to do so, I could take or leave Gehry depending on the building, but he is doing important things. Louis Kahn is dead and didn't complete much, but his few works are timeless and inspiring (and still recent enough to be considered "present").

Right now I think architecture is improving vastly and in a position to do amazing things. Just like any century most of the things built will crumble and be forgotten, but it will have its own gems that distinguish it from other centuries.


-Salad's off-topic essay for the evening-

[last_caress]

FUCKING MORONS.

*kicks last_caress in the teeth* :rofl:

With vocabulary like this, it's no wonder he stopped at the age of 10... :lol:

The swearing thing... when you've just got nothing else.
I think that's more indicative of intellectual poverty.

[last_caress]

In response to the original intent of this post (I have no intention of reading each and every response). Blah blah blah.

Why not? That's half the fun! Reading the posts prevents reiteration of things that have already been agreed upon. Yes, we all know big words. The trick is to know when to use them and when not to use them. If you learned big words at an early age, you must have either learned to read early or you weren't watching cartoons... so what's wrong with reading the posts in a forum? It's barely three pages.

It would have disrupted my original formulation. My experience leads me to believe that a large portion of responses to a given topic are fluff anyway.
Like the house thing I happened to skim by...

[Laeskis]

some people are simply language oriented. Some like to write; some like to work with words; words are some people's only adequate means of expression. Not everyone can draw, sing, or play instruments.
One might just as well say that they dislike painters who use too many colors in their paintings.
I also agree/relate to last_caress' post about dumbing down things for other people. One of the main reasons some people believe that I am mute is because I have become very ill and annoyed with having to 'dumb down' to the point that I refuse to speak; and when I do, it's terse- mainly yes or no.

[Johnny]

FUCKING MORONS.

*kicks last_caress in the teeth* :rofl:

With vocabulary like this, it's no wonder he stopped at the age of 10... :lol:

The swearing thing... when you've just got nothing else.
I think that's more indicative of intellectual poverty.

This may be my favorite regression in the INTP forum for a very long time... :sombrero:

[Utopmk]

The swearing thing... when you've just got nothing else.
I think that's more indicative of intellectual poverty.


If you're a sorry bastard, live up to it like the rest of us. If you aren't, lay down, I need to kick you in the teeth...MOTHERFUCKER.

:devil: :rofl:

[Johnny]

...September 11, 2001, never forget. Why Americans are so obsessed with this tragic event is weird, there have been worse things, the Rape of Nanking for one and Hiroshima for another.

Yes, these are tragic events also.
Rape of Nanking:
http://www.princeton.edu/~nanking/
Hiroshima:
http://www.lclark.edu/~history/HIROSHIMA/

I took a history class in college where I was required to peruse the unclassified documents on the creation of the a-bomb and its use in WWII. Then I got to write my own history on the matter. It was very educational and eye-opening.

Still, 9/11 will linger for a long time to come for us in the US for many reasons, including grief for lost lives and criticism of our government. You do know which picture was the hit at the most recent Cannes, don't you? :sombrero:

[jimkopelli]

I was encouraged to read the book "Hiroshima" in third grade. THIRD FREAKING GRADE. Do you know what that does to a kid?

[last_caress]

The swearing thing... when you've just got nothing else.
I think that's more indicative of intellectual poverty.


If you're a sorry bastard, live up to it like the rest of us. If you aren't, lay down, I need to kick you in the teeth...MOTHERFUCKER.

:devil: :rofl:

The voice of conformity.
I bow to your moral superiority.
I'll give you a call if I ever can't afford the dentist.
I don't restrict myself like that unless I am around kids.
Is that the case here?
I'm begining to wonder.

Let's keep the police in the streets and not on a forum.
INTP's free thinkers?
DOesn't seem like it does it?

The nitpicking over the use of curse words reminds me of the people who nitpick over spelling errors in fine literature.
Ever notice how a dog will stare at your finger instead of what you are pointing at?

[Utopmk]

The swearing thing... when you've just got nothing else.
I think that's more indicative of intellectual poverty.


If you're a sorry bastard, live up to it like the rest of us. If you aren't, lay down, I need to kick you in the teeth...MOTHERFUCKER.

:devil: :rofl:

I'll give you a call if I ever can't afford the dentist.
I don't restrict myself like that unless I am around kids.
Is that the case here?
I'm begining to wonder.

Let's keep the police in the streets and not on a forum.
INTP's free thinkers?
DOesn't seem like it does it?

The nitpicking over the use of curse words is akin to pointing out spelling errors in shakespeare.
Dogs are staring at my finger while I am pointing to the sky.

An example of how little words can provoke thought, and the expression of it.

[Star Cannon]

Some are yes, but some of us are just sick of dumbing it down.
Perhaps OTHER PEOPLE should increase their standards instead of me having to lower mine.

That said it. I abhor dumbing down my vocab simply because students are dumb enough to think that not learning the 10th grade vocab won't affect them.

I use advanced vocab for proper definition and proper usage. Also, having a big vocab is a nice contrast to the psuedo-English I have to put up with around my peers. But I don't mind if its my peers. :-P

My point: extensive vocab is useful but the general population not having one isn't.

[s]

The forced use of large words can be obnoxious, condescending, and tedious. However, in the correct context such as technical writing, large words are often required.
My personal writing style tends to be fairly formal, perhaps because I read primarily non-fiction and some people misinterpret it as being rude, aggressive, and "cold." I admit that most of those people are women, however. Some people may use "big" words, because it comes naturally, but most are likely just posers. Fyodor Dostoevsky's writing was groundbreaking, though he rejected romantic fanciful language. Many consider his writing to be vulgar, choppy, and rude (even when read in his native tongue), however, he effectively communicated his thoughts and is considered one of mankind's greatest philosophers. Listening to a stream of big words gives me the impression someone is compensating for a small...

brain.

[Laeskis]

Onomotopeia; schizophrenic arachnoid parsimonious egalitarian. Superfluous epitomized cocamidoprpyl betaine, polyquaternium.
Methylethylketone!
Gah.
:-P

[Kristi]

I think people who insist on using big words have egos that are over inflated, so they do not have to deal other things they are trying to keep buried like emotions and feelings. I try to use simple words, unless there just is not another word that would fit. Why would someone not want another to understand them? If that was the case, they should just keep their mouths shut.

[Laeskis]

I would still say that it's like accusing a painter of using too much color.

[Claverhouse]

I would still say that it's like accusing a painter of using too much color.

:rofl:

I just imagine that everyone has to develop their own style, therefore they will mix their selection accordingly. Who cares ? No-one outside school is forcing anyone to read Henry James & Dickens. Or Proust & Balzac.


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[s]

Onomotopeia; schizophrenic arachnoid parsimonious egalitarian. Superfluous epitomized cocamidoprpyl betaine, polyquaternium.
Methylethylketone!
Gah.
:-P

Was that like a tourettes moment?

*chuckles*

Funny.

Too much colour makes me nausiated. Totally a matter of personal taste... or lack there of.

Best,

[Laeskis]

Nah, not tourettes, I was...umm....compensating.

[s]

My last job (tech support, usually over the phone) required me to break things own to very elementary principles. I often felt like I was talking to a second grader that happened to be in college. It drove me nuts sometimes but I was good at my job, which spanned anything from creating dialup connections to setting up routers. What was funny though was when the obviously clueless tried to relate with the big words and TLAs. I'd always break it down to 2nd grade level with them too, just to get them on the right course and off their high horse. Then elevate the conversation out of spite, and throw terms around they had no clue about. "Yeah, just call me if you run into any more problems" I'd end with.

Seems to have worked, as most never called me back.

Tech support over the phone... you poor soul.

[Laeskis]

tech support over the phone may be preferable to....
toilet paper over the shelf.

[Daedalus_daemon]

I enjoy having these things described with little words and diagrams. much simpler. Although i have a large vocabulary at my disposal, i would prefer not tu use it. Brainpower is so hard to find these days why waste it on saying something in five words as opposed to pointing and grunting? it works well enough in college anyways....

[s]

tech support over the phone may be preferable to....
toilet paper over the shelf.

Your toilet paper duty is quite honorable--a more honorable field than say... retail, media or PR, Laeskis. ;)

[jimkopelli]

Or politics. Or law. :P

[s]

Or politics. Or law. :P

I agree, though I will likely get a law degree.

[jimkopelli]

Don't you hate stereotypical minorities that give entire groups a bad reputation?

[Niflheimian]

Eschew Obfuscation!

[candela]

and her reply included this lovely little bit.
"So at best if you bring it in and we can make the comparison in order to resolve the question and attain an equitable answer."
Wtf?Is English her first language? There are so many things wrong with that sentence. For starters, it's not a sentence.

[jimkopelli]

Yep. I think her ego was typing, though. Speaking english doesn't mean you know how to use it... but there should be a requirement.

[jimkopelli]

A friend gave me this...
"The laxadazic lagomorphs' aramic convoluted the apothecary's messianic machinations ergo cititizing the labofactating triumvirate with an insurmountable plethora of diminutive salutations from the triskaidekaphobic costermonger's lexicon."
What else was it... Big words only scare small brains.

[INTrPosr]

I am with NGene. I usually have no problem sifting through the big words. However, I will sometimes use a word because it's the only one that describes what I am discussing. I actually feel embarassed when someone ask what it means, because all eyes come back to me.

[paladinoflunaria]

Hypnos wrote

know your audience


I agree, but big words do come naturally for me, and I don't much care for my audience, so... I guess I do it intentionally sometimes too, just to get people away from me.