observation on my idiolect (cusswords in post)

[rikibeth]

Someone commented, yesterday, on my use of "problematic" in an online discussion. They characterized it as a weak word. I hadn't thought of it that way.

It made me realize something about the way I use words. If I disagree with something, but want to give the speaker/writer the benefit of the doubt for good intentions, the word I tend to use is "misguided."

"Mistaken" is a little stronger than that, when I feel it's more than just a matter of opinion.

The next level up from that is "wrongheaded." This is the polite version of "they have their head wedged up their ass."

By the time I'm dragging out "problematic," I'm going for the G-rated version of "that's some pretty fucked-up shit, right there."

However, I can't expect the rest of the world to have a secret decoder ring for Rikibeth Is Trying Not To Swear.

aren't words cool?

Comments

[soon_lee]

There are people who choose words carefully, with intent aforethought. And there are those who don't.

Mine tend to range from, "That's interesting", to "That's unwise". Unless I've blown a gasket, in which case, "That's wrong!" followed by a rant on why that is the case.

I don't see "problematic" as weak at all, unless it's used in fora where stronger words are the norm.

Context & tone can count for a lot; I'm tone-deaf to some of the US region-specific usages for example.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

In the particular forum where I was using it (an online one), it would have been acceptable to use the colloquial translation of "fucked-up," and probably would have conveyed my meaning better.