Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 64 (9164 total)
1 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,890 Year: 4,147/9,624 Month: 1,018/974 Week: 345/286 Day: 1/65 Hour: 0/1


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Creationist writing style
Woodsy
Member (Idle past 3402 days)
Posts: 301
From: Burlington, Canada
Joined: 08-30-2006


Message 1 of 52 (425613)
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


I'm just curious: why do so many creationists use such a convoluted writing style?
Lately, I've been struggling to make sense of posts full of ten-dollar words, malapropisms, and general florid pomposity. The effect is often to seriously obscure the meaning of the posts.
Why do these religious types write like that?

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by RAZD, posted 10-03-2007 7:33 AM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 3 by Chiroptera, posted 10-03-2007 8:55 AM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 5 by Kitsune, posted 10-03-2007 10:42 AM Woodsy has replied
 Message 6 by EighteenDelta, posted 10-03-2007 11:13 AM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 12 by iceage, posted 10-03-2007 4:17 PM Woodsy has replied
 Message 23 by Dr Jack, posted 10-04-2007 6:34 AM Woodsy has replied
 Message 29 by AnswersInGenitals, posted 10-04-2007 9:16 PM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 30 by Hyroglyphx, posted 10-04-2007 9:18 PM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 34 by Kitsune, posted 10-05-2007 1:45 PM Woodsy has not replied

  
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1433 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 2 of 52 (425614)
10-03-2007 7:33 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


From what I have seen it is
(1) they don't really understand science and they think it makes them look like they do
(2) it's the old baffle them with BS when you don't know squat routine
(3) they are as confused as their posts
(4) that's really the way they think
or
any combination of the above
combined with what happens when you try to make sense of creationism in the real world.
There is also a question of whether it is their nature or whether it is nurtured by the religious 'education'
Enjoy.
Edited by RAZD, : nature vs nurture

Join the effort to unravel AIDS/HIV, unfold Proteomes, fight Cancer,
compare Fiocruz Genome and fight Muscular Dystrophy with Team EvC! (click)


we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmericanOZen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 7:09 AM Woodsy has not replied

  
Chiroptera
Inactive Member


Message 3 of 52 (425627)
10-03-2007 8:55 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


It's a product of the educational system, the need to pad the essays and papers in English class so that they are 10 pages long.
It took me a long time to break the habit of convoluted writing, and I still haven't completely broken out of it.

In many respects, the Bible was the world's first Wikipedia article. -- Doug Brown (quoted by Carlin Romano in The Chronicle Review)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 7:09 AM Woodsy has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by CK, posted 10-03-2007 10:17 AM Chiroptera has not replied

  
CK
Member (Idle past 4156 days)
Posts: 3221
Joined: 07-04-2004


Message 4 of 52 (425640)
10-03-2007 10:17 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Chiroptera
10-03-2007 8:55 AM


My missus is a french language academic (in that she writes in french not that she's writes about the french language) - the writing style they use makes my head explode. If anyone can understand what you are saying on their first read, you have made it too reader-friendly and need to reword it to make it more complex.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Chiroptera, posted 10-03-2007 8:55 AM Chiroptera has not replied

  
Kitsune
Member (Idle past 4328 days)
Posts: 788
From: Leicester, UK
Joined: 09-16-2007


Message 5 of 52 (425645)
10-03-2007 10:42 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


Would you like to give an example or two?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 7:09 AM Woodsy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 3:35 PM Kitsune has replied

  
EighteenDelta
Inactive Member


Message 6 of 52 (425648)
10-03-2007 11:13 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


Rule #3 of 'How to win any argument' reads
the site, how to win any argument writes:
Use meaningless but weightly-sounding words and phrases.
Memorize this list:
* Let me put it this way
* In terms of
* Vis-a-vis
* Per se
* As it were
* Qua
* So to speak
You should also memorize some Latin abbreviations such as "Q.E.D.," "e.g.," and "i.e." These are all short for "I speak Latin, and you do not."
Here's how to use these words and phrases. Suppose you want to say: "Peruvians would like to order appetizers more often, but they don't have enough money."
You never win arguments talking like that. But you WILL win if you say: "Let me put it this way. In terms of appetizers vis-a-vis Peruvians qua Peruvians, they would like to order them more often, so to speak, but they do not have enough money per se, as it were. Q.E.D."
Only a fool would challenge that statement.
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-winargs.html
I think that is the best explanation.
-x

"Debate is an art form. It is about the winning of arguments. It is not about the discovery of truth. There are certain rules and procedures to debate that really have nothing to do with establishing fact ” which creationists have mastered. Some of those rules are: never say anything positive about your own position because it can be attacked, but chip away at what appear to be the weaknesses in your opponent's position. They are good at that. I don't think I could beat the creationists at debate. I can tie them. But in courtrooms they are terrible, because in courtrooms you cannot give speeches. In a courtroom you have to answer direct questions about the positive status of your belief. We destroyed them in Arkansas. On the second day of the two-week trial we had our victory party!"
-Stephen Jay Gould

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 7:09 AM Woodsy has not replied

  
Woodsy
Member (Idle past 3402 days)
Posts: 301
From: Burlington, Canada
Joined: 08-30-2006


Message 7 of 52 (425655)
10-03-2007 3:35 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by Kitsune
10-03-2007 10:42 AM


I'm reluctant to do this: I'm not out to insult anyone, but I do see this style on many forums, and it caught my attention.
Here is an example:
Look at the stats as equations, akin to MC2. The observations and evidencing is upto each generation's status. Science is a recent study, appearing after maths and history. If there is a stat the city Ramesey is a one day journey from Goshen - mankind has to determine and evidence its veracity. Where it says the Nile never runs dry, it becomes evidenced by the terrain examination, namely all rivers flow down and never up from this point: there was never a famine in Egypt. If the text describes the ancient Egyptian diets [the fleshpots of egypt, the fish for naught, the garlic, melons, etc..] - we can verify of this is of contemporanous veracity. The surrounding colliliary gives the credibility factor.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by Kitsune, posted 10-03-2007 10:42 AM Kitsune has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by macaroniandcheese, posted 10-03-2007 3:40 PM Woodsy has replied
 Message 9 by RAZD, posted 10-03-2007 3:50 PM Woodsy has not replied
 Message 27 by Kitsune, posted 10-04-2007 8:07 AM Woodsy has not replied

  
macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3956 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 8 of 52 (425656)
10-03-2007 3:40 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 3:35 PM


haha i remember that one.
wtf is a fleshpot?
it really seems to me that if it takes too long to say what you want to say, then you're probably not actually saying anything.
Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 3:35 PM Woodsy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 3:52 PM macaroniandcheese has replied

  
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1433 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 9 of 52 (425658)
10-03-2007 3:50 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 3:35 PM


and I was going to reply that any post by him would be an example.
note it is interesting to do a google on "colliliary" - a consistently misused non-word.
Edited by RAZD, : colliliary

Join the effort to unravel AIDS/HIV, unfold Proteomes, fight Cancer,
compare Fiocruz Genome and fight Muscular Dystrophy with Team EvC! (click)


we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmericanOZen[Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 3:35 PM Woodsy has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 13 by bluegenes, posted 10-03-2007 4:20 PM RAZD has not replied

  
Woodsy
Member (Idle past 3402 days)
Posts: 301
From: Burlington, Canada
Joined: 08-30-2006


Message 10 of 52 (425659)
10-03-2007 3:52 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by macaroniandcheese
10-03-2007 3:40 PM


A fleshpot is usually an entertainment district in a city (including bordellos?). It's not clear what this has to do with diet.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by macaroniandcheese, posted 10-03-2007 3:40 PM macaroniandcheese has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by macaroniandcheese, posted 10-03-2007 3:54 PM Woodsy has not replied

  
macaroniandcheese 
Suspended Member (Idle past 3956 days)
Posts: 4258
Joined: 05-24-2004


Message 11 of 52 (425660)
10-03-2007 3:54 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 3:52 PM


i see. the only thing i could think of was sexpot, so i was right. i think we could make assumptions about diet, but that's dirty

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 3:52 PM Woodsy has not replied

  
iceage 
Suspended Member (Idle past 5943 days)
Posts: 1024
From: Pacific Northwest
Joined: 09-08-2003


Message 12 of 52 (425661)
10-03-2007 4:17 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Woodsy
10-03-2007 7:09 AM


I don't know if you can really make this classification.
Some like NJ, CTD, Phat and Buzz (and the recently departed Faith) often write clearly and with proper grammar and usage. However, others like refpunk or higherevolvedracist are probably young and have not developed writing skills yet. CFO is in class all of his own. He probably has a macro to randomly insert "typical atheistic/evolutionist philosophy" and "objective persons can clearly determine".
I am not a creationist but when I go back and reread my own post - oh my! I notice a missed conjunction here, a wrong tense there. I usually write in rush and don't reread or check what I have written.
So I don't know that there is clear trend. Or if there is, I am skewing the result :0
Edited by iceage, : he he fixed some grammar

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 7:09 AM Woodsy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 4:34 PM iceage has not replied
 Message 19 by Taz, posted 10-03-2007 9:08 PM iceage has not replied

  
bluegenes
Member (Idle past 2505 days)
Posts: 3119
From: U.K.
Joined: 01-24-2007


Message 13 of 52 (425663)
10-03-2007 4:20 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by RAZD
10-03-2007 3:50 PM


RAZD writes:
and I was going to reply that any post by him would be an example.
You weren't the only one! But I didn't want to mention names.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by RAZD, posted 10-03-2007 3:50 PM RAZD has not replied

  
Woodsy
Member (Idle past 3402 days)
Posts: 301
From: Burlington, Canada
Joined: 08-30-2006


Message 14 of 52 (425665)
10-03-2007 4:34 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by iceage
10-03-2007 4:17 PM


I'm not much concerned with the minor errors we all make when writing quickly. The inflated language is what gets my attention.
Certainly, some creationists write very clearly, but one very rarely sees that over-decorated style from anyone else. I'd very much like to know why they use it.
Edited by Woodsy, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by iceage, posted 10-03-2007 4:17 PM iceage has not replied

  
molbiogirl
Member (Idle past 2670 days)
Posts: 1909
From: MO
Joined: 06-06-2007


Message 15 of 52 (425672)
10-03-2007 5:26 PM


This may seem petty, but I just can't believe the misspellings.
I'm not talking about typos.
I mean consistent, didn't-you-ever-participate-in-a-spelling-bee misspellings.
They always seem to accompany the ten dollar words, too.
I say:
If you can't spell "sequel", lay off the fancy lingo.

Replies to this message:
 Message 16 by Woodsy, posted 10-03-2007 5:39 PM molbiogirl has not replied
 Message 17 by RAZD, posted 10-03-2007 5:45 PM molbiogirl has not replied
 Message 18 by Wounded King, posted 10-03-2007 6:19 PM molbiogirl has not replied
 Message 20 by Taz, posted 10-03-2007 9:16 PM molbiogirl has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024