What are we called?

Buzzfloyd, I think, once coined the term "Disciples".

I like that, Disciples - only the chosen know how to pronounce it so as not to confuse themselves with Christians. On paper they are totally incognito.

What is that? Vile democracy? On this board? This shall not stand! The term shall be disciples henceforth. So Saith Ba.

Don't send Spiky money! She'll just do something foolish, like give it to orphans, or worse, Doors!

There's actually a good reason to have names and labels. To be able to easily identify a group. Now, something fancy might not be strictly necessary in this case--"Pratchett fans" is hardly unwieldy--but that's still a label. But if Pepster wanted to talk about people who were interested in the works of Mr. Pratchett, it becomes necessary to have some sort of identifier.

It works for other things as well. Try talking about race relations without having any names for different ethnic groups.

Genre names aren't as important, but they're still convenient as a shorthand. For example, "Pepster generally likes Reggae." This is nice and easy. It gives an idea of the sort of music Pepster likes in four words. It could even be three, if he were willing to let "generally" be implicit, or if he were a fan of reggae indiscriminately. It's a lot easier than, say, "Pepster is a fan of the style of music from Jamaica characterized by the use of regular beats on the off-beat, which is usually slower than ska with accents on the first and third beat." Now, sometimes these

Language is about communication. Labels and names are convenient short-hand to get to the point quickly. Argument about these names are, ideally, to keep communication clear. Defining these terms makes sure that people have a common base from which to discuss things.

Names can also be fun. In this case, people want a nice name for the group they belong to. Now, disciples is not likely to catch on, at least from this (relatively) minor message board. Names like this usually come about more organically. But it can be a nice in-joke for the boards, a piece of culture for the miniature society created by this community, much like the Tripod, Boardania, and the other jokes that they've accumulated throughout the years.

In conclusion, naming, labeling, and defining things is part of communication. Pepster signed up for this when he started asking the other apes where the fruit is.

I want to know what Ba was going to say here.

*lol*

LOL! Also, Hsing, I was impressed with you for remembering 'Disciples'. I started reading this and thought, "Oh, what was that one I came up with?" That was ages ago, you must have a memory like an elephant.

Unfortunately, sometimes. For everything but faces. I might pass you by in the street any time, but I'll always remember your words.

Huzzah! The Grace-bait has worked.

Now, sometimes these labels are applied too indiscriminately, or become more important to people than the things they describe. For example, when it becomes more important what kind of music it is rather than whether or not it is good music, that's a bad thing. When the fact that a book is science fiction is used to determine whether or not it's good, then it causes problems. When the fact that a person is gay, black, or Pentecostal is more important than the fact that they are, indeed, a person, then it's a very big problem. But that doesn't make labels a bad thing. Only the lengths people take them.

There, that's essentially where Ba was going with that line.

Very well put indeed! I knew it would be worth asking.

Nerds? geeks?

Why has no one suggested those before?

Tut!

misbegotten and miscellaneous freaks, geeks, nerds, dorks, and comic book shop employees, augmented by legions of undisenfranchised female members of the aforementioned social outcasts who latch onto a writer who by his own admission is incapable of writing a weak female character and so therefore are CLEARLY not projecting any of their own failed aspirations onto anything...

christ, pratchett's just one Oprah recommendation away from being the greatest feminist author the world's ever seen... and really, if it were down to me, i'd say "enthusiasts" would be an adequate and dignified catch-all term, but in recognition of the need to disguise you great unwashed with shiney things and catchy jingles, i support the Diskiple initiative with only mild reservation.

I like the way Doors and Garner say basically the same thing, but Garner takes about a hundred more words to say it, while Doors' ratio of monosyllabic to polysyllabic sentences is three to one.

there's just no substitute for good seething.

er, i mean breeding.

Yep!