Honorverse Euphemisms

crewdude48 wrote:

cthia wrote:Sex slave

Euphemism; an innocuous word used in place of one found offensive. How is sex slave not offensive?...attacking.

cthia wrote:I think it can be a rather subjective thing...euphemisms.
Because prostitute (slu#, ho, trollop) is much worse. IMHO

actually it is in the case of genetic slavery - for F&*#-Toy.

I completely agree.

There's a different flavour to each of these uses. "Slut" is, generally, the most harmless, except in the eyes of those who would condemn a woman from enjoying the same sexual freedom as a man - or, indeed, for enjoying sex. A man who goes out every weekend and pulls a different woman is a "stud", he's manly, he's macho, he's envied by other men. A woman who goes out every weekend and pulls a different man is a slut, she's shameful and wrong.

It's a usage of the word that reflects past ideals and behaviours. I'm not claiming that anyone here feels that way, but the double-standard is still an attitude that hasn't left us.

That said, one *chooses* to be a slut. One chooses it because one has a high sex drive, and/or enjoys the attention, or just because one is attractive and can.

Prostitute is a little less certain because of the difference between theoretical perfection and reality. Ideally a prostitute is the Honorverse-Landing style escort, a certified, regulated professional in a working field with standards; probably well-paid. Much like the highly rewarded escorts and mistresses of some older European courts. Of course in reality the influence of drugs and criminal pimps and gangs messes this up, and this gives a bit of a blur between "prostitute" and "sex slave". Ideally, though, a prostitute chooses to take the role as an extreme version of a masseuse and can be very well paid.

A sex slave is property, who can be used and degraded at will. He/She can even killed, by his/her owner, just as the owner of a china tea-set can smash it. She can be traded; in fact she was either traded or captured. One might choose to be a slut, one might decide to take on a relatively-high paid job as a dancer and prostitute for a few years to pay off debts or college fees. One does not choose to have raiders attack your home town, rape you, then carry you off to be sold to a military brothel and used repeatedly by soldiers on leave. One does not choose to be incubated in a test tube, birthed, then raised as a slave with repeated sexual abuse from childhood onwards to desensitise you and "teach you saleable skills".

Not nice stuff.

As far as T-Shirts go, wear one labelled "Slut" and you'd probably get propositioned lots, wear one labelled "prostitute" (or "whore", "sex worker" or any other euphemism) and you'd probably get offered money a lot, wear one labelled "sex slave" and you'd probably get quizzical looks in this day and age - at best people would assume you were heavily into BDSM. In the Honorverse I suspect it would mean either that your owners had you tagged for easy identification for sale, or that you were an escaped slave with a throw-it-in-your-face attitude.

Scuffles wrote:

cthia wrote:Sex slave

I think it can be a rather subjective thing...euphemisms.

Because prostitute (slu#, ho, trollop) is much worse. IMHO

I'm gonna disagree with this one, because in Honorverse terms the important part of the term isn't sex, it's slave.

A sex slave is property. That's not the same as being a prostitute.

In fact I think there's some (possibly rather vague) mentions in some of the earlier books that seem to suggest that prostitution is a reasonably respectable profession? I'm sure I remember Honor telling Mike about her mother wanting to hire her a highly paid 'escort' as a graduation present? Plus I'm sure there was some stuff mentioned around White Haven at some point?

In this case, of course, it's not a euphemism at all. It's a straight forward description.

It's not "he/she's a slave to their sex drive, they can't help themselves and keep giving in to their lusts". It's "he/she is a slave, who is owned and kept for sexual purposes. The owner may use them that way, or lend, sell or trade them to others at will."

It's no more a euphemism than "shuttle pilot" or "Queen of Manticore".

cthia wrote:

Scuffles wrote:
I'm gonna disagree with this one, because in Honorverse terms the important part of the term isn't sex, it's slave.

A sex slave is property. That's not the same as being a prostitute.

In fact I think there's some (possibly rather vague) mentions in some of the earlier books that seem to suggest that prostitution is a reasonably respectable profession? I'm sure I remember Honor telling Mike about her mother wanting to hire her a highly paid 'escort' as a graduation present? Plus I'm sure there was some stuff mentioned around White Haven at some point?

You are missing the essence of euphemisms. A euphemism is more than the sum of its parts. It is a non dissectible atomic entity already in its smallest form. Sex slave is two words but encompassing one concept.

You stated "the important part of the term isn't sex, it's slave."

Incorrect. Under the present contextual umbrella of euphemisms the significant part is neither, rather the intended conjured imagery attempted by the wielder of the euphemism.

You ever had a teacher who said to the class "I'm going to give you a list of words. I want your first reaction. Your initial reaction?" "Quickly. Quickly!" They rush you and say "quickly" to prevent your analyzing it. It's the reflexive thought sought, not the conscious thought.

When psychologists/psychiatrists hold up cue cards for one to identify, they ask for the first thought that comes to mind. The reflexive thought. They want to know what's going on in your head.

Euphemisms attempt to access that same reflexive output of the brain, without regard to semantics. Therefore, it is the reflexive thought desired from sex slave not the thought you can consciously analyze, which leads to considerations of semantics. A euphemism is already a hodge-podge of cross-talk-double-talk. Now you want to add an added burden of semantics. A very poignant case of missing the forest for the trees. My 12 yr old niece says a euphemism doesn't have to be semantical, or pedantical or lexical or grammatical. It only has to be illogical. (that post is upcoming)
There are no root words of sex slave. There is only the incited root image.

.

TheMonster wrote:

MaxxQ wrote: I realize it's a bit of a sensitive subject, but because of when and where I grew up, I've always used the term "handicapped". Now, I understand that people object to that term, and I understand the reasons, but to me, it sounds a lot less offensive than "crippled". "Disabled" is okay, to me, but I still tend to use handicapped. "Differently-abled" just sounds insulting.

I'm glad to see someone else got off the treadmill.

I have heard an alleged reason for why "handicapped" is supposed to be objectionable, but I am unmoved, particularly because it's a damned lie.

I am offended by the notion that someone can fabricate another meaning for my words and insist that I am wrong to use those words because of that fabrication. It's fundamentally dishonest, and I will call it out whenever I see it done.


@cthia,
The word "possibilistic" seems to be a portmanteau of "possible" and "probabilistic", and therefore conveys a shade of meaning the root "possible" doesn't quite accomplish. I therefore offer no objection to it. In contrast, I bristle at the tendency to, for example, use the word "utilize" as a synonym for "use". Note that this is not an objection to the word "utilize" itself, only a plea that it only be used to convey a different meaning from the shorter "use".


Thinking back to the black/negro argument, I realized there was a related issue specific to the development of euphemisms in English. It is the bastard child of the Germanic and Romance families, having sprung from the Low German dialects of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, further influenced by the Vikings, rubbing up against the Latin of the Romano-Britons and the Norman French (derived from the Latin vulgate) of William the Conqueror and his noblemen. The American branch of English has had further close exposure to Latin-derived Spanish as well as French.

Because of this, for many ideas English has two completely different words; one with Germanic roots and one Latin. Because the ruling class preferred the Latin-derived French; and because Latin was the international language of scholarship due to the Roman Empire having imprinted itself upon all of Europe's cultures, the Latin-derived alternative is considered the "cultured" term, while the Germanic is "vulgar". The Latin "copulate" is clearly preferred to the Germanic four-letter alternative.

That we reached a point in history when the Latin-derived "negro" needed to be replaced with the Germanic "black" makes that a watershed moment in euphemisms. Perhaps Spanish loanwords have less cachet (heh) than those we've assimilated from French.


It might be interesting to see if the language of the commoners in the Andermani Empire includes Chinese expressions that are considered "vulgar". Perhaps some Marine non-com will get to throw out such an epithet when boarding a SLN vessel on a commerce-raiding mission to Silesia, and a higher-ranking officer will apologize for his subordinate's inappropriate language.

Thanks Monster.
I will try not to stumble over utilize again and I humbly ask your indulgence at least this time as my brain is fried. You should see the email my niece sent me regarding euphemisms. It is 9 pages of poignant silliness. I will edit it for tv err forum use.

BTW. RFC left me a post. From his post I got a replacement word for alot...lots!

I should have been using it all along. My fiancee is English and she's always saying "love you lots like jelly tots." Jelly tots are a delicious sweet English gummy treat. They are found in other parts of the world as well. If I occasionally slip on alot again, forgive me. Addictive behaviours require a 10-step process of one day at a time.

cthia wrote:BTW. RFC left me a post. From his post I got a replacement word for alot...lots!

Just don't throw an apostrophe in there (lot's). I've seen that a lot <heh...>.

NortonIDaughter wrote:And a quick note on the word "slut"-- there is a movement to reclaim that word in an anti-sexual violence context; "Slutwalks", basically cause-oriented walks like any other, are held to protest rape, etc. The participants tend to wear alluring clothing as a way to protest views that women who dress immodestly "deserve what they get", etc...

really? - we need that here in FW. (no not grandma!!!...) anyway all for that.

Well, just to stick my oar back into the original question of "Euphemisms in the Honorverse", how about...

Mental Hygiene Police
The Committee of Public Safety
Sending them home to God

Werrf wrote:Well, just to stick my oar back into the original question of "Euphemisms in the Honorverse", how about...

Mental Hygiene Police
The Committee of Public Safety
Sending them home to God

Continuing the theme: People's Republic of Haven

I first heard of the term differently abled in a book called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner. It was used in the story Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jack's mother thought of Jack as "downright differently abled" after he obtained the beans.

wholf359 wrote:As someone who is crippled/disabled/handicapped, I must say I have never heard of the term differently-abled. Where did you find it?

petercharters wrote:In this case, of course, it's not a euphemism at all. It's a straight forward description.

I'm not quite feeling you on this, as all euphemisms are indeed descriptions. Albeit, euphemistic descriptions. Does straight forward necessarily make a difference...no.
Example: brown cat. Straightforward enough?
Yet, in my college dorm brown cat meant...yes that!...don't make me say it!

I don't think you understand how subjective euphemisms are. What is euphemistic to you may not be for me. For me, may not be for you. Radio and television personalities have been losing their jobs for years, even coaches because of a single word or phrase that they never expected would cause so much upheaval.

Imagine this. If we cannot first be sure about what is or isn't offensive, then how can we manufacture a-one-size-fits-all watered-down (euphemistic) alternative?

You simply must accept that euphemisms are subjective, before you can discuss it, intelligibly. Personally, I would hesitate before challenging anyone's claim of some word or phrase being an euphemism.

Someone could claim that 'ice' is an euphemism for 'God.' I may not understand it, but in his remote village, it indeed has become an euphemism for God. You must know your audience, and expect that some shots are going to miss the mark completely.

My niece argued that 'life' has become an euphemism for 'death' for some people. Why do you think they commit suicide? Living can become so distateful that the mere mention of the single word 'life' conjures up images of death!

It's all subjective. Subject a man that has fifteen wives and twenty-three uncontrollable miscreant kids all under the age of seven--terrible kids-- the wives are overworked, beeotchy, overbearing, mean, inconsiderate, abusive and he is a simple, reserved, frail specimen of a man who also catches it twice as bad at work, that has just discovered the IRS is going to hang him, to the word 'life' and for him it conjures up images of death.