words that make you grit your teeth

[crazycanuck]

Lisa-thank you.. For once, I second what you say. That's what I was trying to get accross but I was a bit peeved when i posted previously & didn't get my thoughts out exactly how i wanted.

[Tuckervill]

There is no way to know whether it is "Oh my goodness" or "Oh my gosh", and I am not speaking to those. I am speaking to "Oh my God."

Well, not really, because in post #156 you said this:

"This is what Christians believe and you'd better bet that if you say OMG, OMFG or just GOD, you will offend a Christian."

My position on all this is: This is the internet. You are going to be offended by something if you walk around with your offensometer running all the time, and sometimes if you weren't even paying attention! I'm offended by sweeping generalizations and jokes about mothers-in-law. When I see one, I either try to enlighten, or I just ignore it. To carry on trying to change someone's mind when they don't want to change is futile. Just telling my story is enough for me. It might not change them, and they may continue posting things I deem to be unfair to mothers-in-law or offensive or perpetuating a stereotype. My life is too short to police my haunts for MIL jokes all the time. It serves a bigger purpose in my life to ignore them, so I do.

Perhaps it would serve a bigger purpose for those who object to OMG, et al, to put their efforts towards something they can change?

Karen

[Flybye]

Well, not really, because in post #156 you said this:

"This is what Christians believe and you'd better bet that if you say OMG, OMFG or just GOD, you will offend a Christian."

My position on all this is: This is the internet. You are going to be offended by something if you walk around with your offensometer running all the time, and sometimes if you weren't even paying attention! I'm offended by sweeping generalizations and jokes about mothers-in-law. When I see one, I either try to enlighten, or I just ignore it. To carry on trying to change someone's mind when they don't want to change is futile. Just telling my story is enough for me. It might not change them, and they may continue posting things I deem to be unfair to mothers-in-law or offensive or perpetuating a stereotype. My life is too short to police my haunts for MIL jokes all the time. It serves a bigger purpose in my life to ignore them, so I do.

Perhaps it would serve a bigger purpose for those who object to OMG, et al, to put their efforts towards something they can change?

Karen

Karen, I am going to drop out of the argument. I think the topic is too heated and there is too much emotion. It will still bother me when people say OMG, OMFG and yes, really, because I am speaking to Oh my God, Oh my Fing God and God. It really is offensive. Really. I have the right to be offended. I won't apologize or back down.

And I think it would be wise for people to put their efforts toward something they can change as you said. You can't change the fact that when a person says Oh My God, it offends a Christian.

All that I think after this is said and done is that there are some who will continue to say OMG - Oh my God, without even realizing that it offends. It isn't a word to be thrown around lightly. Do with it what you may. Say it out of spite if you must, or be sensitive and think twice about others next time it is about to slip from your lips. Karen, I am not speaking to you in this paragraph, just to people in general.

I hear it all of the time. I always will and it will always bother me.

I know that it bothers several other people who won't take a stand on the forum b/c I have recieved PM's in support.

Being a community is about respecting one another. Out of respect for those of us who are Christian or who believe in God and believe that His name isn't something to throw around in casual conversation, just be sensitive to the fact. In the TE community, I have seen more respect than disrespect.

Now, this debate has been around for centuries. It won't end because we here on TE decided that:

It offends Christians.

It offends others that it offends Christians.

You can still say it if you want to.

Some people really don't care.

Some say it out of spite.

Soooooooooooooooooo, I am going to cruise other posts, have a great Saturday, and get ready to go camping.

I still love TE. I really don't care what you believe on the subject of OMG. It is just one of those words that REALLY makes me grit my teeth.

That is it for me on the subject.

[Crankin]

Thank you, Lisa.
My thoughts exactly. I know this topic is controversial, but it makes me want to say I believe in God and I don't care if anyone says Oh My God.
I say a lot worse and they are all just words...

[Chile Pepper]

I just ran across "I could care less." I suppose I really could and should care less than I do about other people's grammar, but that one drives me crazy.

[mupedalpusher]

I don't like being referred to as Mrs. Jim XXXX. I have a name and it's Pam. It's not the "Mrs." I dislike or the last name because I chose to take his name. I don't get this one often, but when I do I just politely say "my name is Pam". I'll probably get hammered for his one but I just feel I deserve my own identity. They can call me Mrs. Pam XXXX but at least give me the respect of using my name.

Recently I had a tall woman mention my height (5'4") and basically make fun of me for being short. I just very politely said "I'm fine with being petite, I've really never wanted to be a big woman". She shut up fast. I guess she didn't like being called "big". I'm not making fun of tall women here, so please if you are tall don't take offense because I could care less about how tall someone is...just wanted to shut this gal down in a hurry!

[Crankin]

I haven't had anyone call me "Mrs. Steve XXX" since my grandmother died. She used to address letters to me that way and when they arrived in the mail (back in the old days) my husband would open them because he saw his name!
I don't mind the Mrs. either, especially from all the years of teaching, but now I regret changing my name. It's not a huge "thing,"but it's too late to change it back after 29 years.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Recently I had a tall woman mention my height (5'4") and basically make fun of me for being short. I just very politely said "I'm fine with being petite, I've really never wanted to be a big woman". She shut up fast. I guess she didn't like being called "big". I'm not making fun of tall women here, so please if you are tall don't take offense because I could care less about how tall someone is...just wanted to shut this gal down in a hurry!

You just said "I could care less"!!

Yeah, the "Mrs. John Smith" thing always used to bother me too. I saw a lot of that one year when I joined a garden club and many members were seniors and pretty straight-laced. It's an old tradition from our grandmother's and great grandmothers' time, so I can understand older people still using it. I think it is fading out on its own.

[OakLeaf]

The worst was when my high school (prep, but bohemian kind of prep, so I really expected better) heard from my mom (who was a teacher in the Lower School) that I'd gotten married to my first husband. School decided to start addressing all my alumna mail to "Mrs. Ron XXX"... when I'd kept my own freakin name, my first name AND my last name. They got an earful from me on that one!

I always assumed that "I could care less" was, um, would it be sarcasm, or another figure of speech? I thought it was intentional to state the opposite of what was actually meant, anyhow.

And - well said, Lisa.
<tying my fingers behind my back so I don't keep going on this one>

[Chile Pepper]

I always assumed that "I could care less" was, um, would it be sarcasm, or another figure of speech? I thought it was intentional to state the opposite of what was actually meant, anyhow.

Um, no, but then I couldn't care less about the derivation of the phrase.

[Zen]

And - well said, Lisa.
<tying my fingers behind my back so I don't keep going on this one>

I'm wearing my oven mitts

[lph]

Well I thought the phrase was really "I couldn't care less (about x,y or z)", ie. "I don't care at all".

Re: "the other discussion": this thread was started to let people vent a little on words or phrases that upset them in general. So I think it's only fair to let everybody say which phrases upset or offend them no matter what they are and no matter if you happen to use them. No-one's decreeing that you can't say this, that or the other, and as long as it's mentioned in a reasonable manner I find it rather enlightening what bothers people.

Sorry, that syntax sucked.

[kelownagirl]

Both are correct according to Wiki.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/could_care_less

I could care less
I couldn't care less

[Blueberry]

Ohhh....I hate "Mrs."

My prior law firm wanted to run an ad announcing I had joined the firm. They wanted to refer to me as "Mrs. CA." It ran as "Ms. CA." I'm not sure they ever understood why I cared, but I didn't feel the need to advertise my marital status. One way or the other.

CA

[boy in a kilt]

Irregardless
mismessaged
At this point in time
"Access" used as a verb
"Image" used as a verb
Members of the media using military jargon
Most buzz words
not un...