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View Full Version : Down with Cute! Up with Vocabulary!



Chemical
09-15-2007, 07:59 PM
I recently read a student essay that brought me much amusement:



If there's one word that deserves to be hauled into the back alley and dismembered letter by letter, it's CUTE. Just looking at the word brings up images of pink, frilly dresses; Veggie Tales; and helpess puppies. And the word brings up my breakfast. But why do I want to deface pictures of babies sitting in flowers? Why do I want to smash Precious Moments figurines into smithereens? And why do I want to put big black X's over stylized hearts?
For as long as I can remember, cute has inspired nothing in me but contempt. It's a cop-out descriptor. Whenever I hear it, I think, "What? Can you find no better adjective? With so many options, how could you choose cute?" Because cute is used so often and so carelessly; it means so little.
"Your shirt is sooo cute!"
"They make such a cute couple!"
"What a cute idea!"
Soon we'll be calling Jesse Ventura cute, or Fidel Castro, or nuclear warfare. Just recently I heard a girl squeal about a plain-faced education prof,"Oh, Dr. O'Reilly is so cute!" Get me a bucket so I can throw up. Cutely, of course.

I personally use the word rarely; I prefer adjectives like putrifying, acrid and deplorable. Though I think its true that vocabulary has been reduced to pop-words like: hot, cool, cute, *a'yo... it's really all rather unimaginative.

So in response I say;
"Goodbye thesaruas.com (http://thesaruas.com) - hellooo Easy-Speak."

TyphoonThaReapa
09-15-2007, 08:13 PM
A'yo, can A'yo be put on your list of unimaginative words? If so, A'yo, I'm still gonna use it!!!! KILL OFF "EXCUSE ME"!!!!!! LONG LIVE "A'YO"!!!!!!!:cool:

Resha
09-15-2007, 08:19 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

fuck off fuck off fuck offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey FUCK OFF >=(

Quindiana Jones
09-15-2007, 08:24 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

Calm down dear, it's only a commercial.

Jessweeee♪
09-15-2007, 08:29 PM
I use the words "cute" and "cool" and "awesome" and "nice", etc. all the time n.n

Quindiana Jones
09-15-2007, 08:29 PM
That's why we all hate you. :bigbiggri

Rengori
09-15-2007, 08:37 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

Calm down dear, it's only a commercial.

To YOU maybe. :jokey:

Jessweeee♪
09-15-2007, 08:39 PM
That's why we all hate you. :bigbiggri

I love that smiley...it's so cute n.n

Quindiana Jones
09-15-2007, 08:52 PM
HOLY :skull::skull::skull::skull: I GOT 2 POSTS QUOTED IN THE SAME VERY SMALL, MOST PROBABLY GOING TO FAIL, THREAD!

I just peed my pants. :(

Old Manus
09-15-2007, 09:25 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

Calm down dear, it's only a commercial.Giant win

Hazzard
09-15-2007, 09:27 PM
I thought it was only me who felt flattered when getting quoted!

Madame Adequate
09-15-2007, 09:52 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

Calm down dear, it's only a commercial.Giant win

Analysis cannot be added to

Jess
09-15-2007, 10:40 PM
I use words like that all the time in day to day life whilst speaking, but obviously if I'm writing something like an essay I'll make more of an effort to use better adjectives. It doesn't bother me what words people use, however, if they say them and they don't know what they mean it annoys me. :jess:

Værn
09-16-2007, 04:15 AM
I attempt to only use the word "cute" when I'm talking about Ryo-Ohki and/or Fuku.

Ash Ketchum
09-16-2007, 07:23 AM
I have to agree - cheese is king!

41-Inches-Wide
09-16-2007, 11:21 AM
I adhere to a rule where "cute" refers solely to me.
All others referred to as cute, yes even hello kitty, is null and void.

Heath
09-16-2007, 11:44 AM
I rarely use the word cute; not because I have bigger and more impressive words to say instead, simply because I have no reason to use cute or any synonyms of it.

'Nice', however, I use far too much.

Captain Maxx Power
09-16-2007, 01:33 PM
I know English Literature students at my university who often use "text speak" to communicate, i.e. r u gnna b @ cafe 4 t? Orwell was semi-right about Newspeak; the only difference being rather than it being forced on us we made it up and used it under our own power.

Resha
09-16-2007, 03:00 PM
Orwell was semi-right about Newspeak; the only difference being rather than it being forced on us we made it up and used it under our own power.
That's what you think :shifty:

as for calming down no I will not :( it's heinous. You just don't buy products which advertise themselves in that manner. If they can't be arsed to write a whole word out you know they're not going to be arsed to make it a decent product. you'll be paying for :skull::skull::skull::skull: >=(

DK
09-16-2007, 03:07 PM
Anyone who has ever spoken to me one on one can attest to the fact that I use a very personalised vocabulary. Not that I specifically set out to use words that are not particularly prominent or anything like that, I just use words I like. :monster:

Quindiana Jones
09-16-2007, 03:29 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

Calm down dear, it's only a commercial.Giant win

Analysis cannot be added to

I'm so happy right now.

scrumpleberry
09-16-2007, 03:43 PM
I dunno if this is directly relevant, but eh. I hate it when people put "cool" stuff in their slogans or adverts or signs like uhm..."CANS 4 SALE", "R U HIP? BUY &#&#* TODAY!"

smurf off smurf off smurf offffff! It's fine on the net, in text messages, in emails! But to see stuff like that in malls? On glossy brochures? I retch. :irked: They all think they can open themselves to a younger market by sounding like that but hey smurf OFF >=(

free wknd txts :-)

Every time I see one of those I want to hit something.