It's NOT Us Against Them
I chose this title, because too often many Americans seem to see issues in this "us against them" light anymore. I know many issues are tough, but they needn't always be the Fox News or MSNBC views, that it's either one or the other. It can be something of both. Can we learn how to compromise again, instead of pretty much reflexively choosing sides because someone from the opposite political party, or someone of a different race, religion, ethnic background, nationality, gender, sexuality, proposed it? There is middle ground, but this drive for dogmatic choices is dragging the country down. This idea of, "The opposing political party said they like "butter pecan" ice cream, so we have to like something else, we can't like the same thing," is what is making so many Americans uneasy, nothing can get done anymore. The thing is, while we're uneasy, we're all pretty much a part of the problem. Please don't look for reasons to oppose everything. Look for common ground and how that common ground can lead to solutions for our many ills. Those solutions may not always be perfect, but taking steps to solve problems is better than letting things fester.
WORD HISTORY:
Score-This word, closely related to "shear," and also to "share," goes back to Indo European "sker," which meant "to cut." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "skura/skoru," with the general meaning, "to cut a mark into something with an knife or other implement, to cut an opening into an object." This gave Old Norse "skor," which meant "notch." This was borrowed into Old English (Anglo-Saxon), in circa 1000, as "scoru," which had the meaning, "notch cut into an object representing 20." This then became "skore," before the modern version. The additional meanings for the word essentially broadened the idea of a notch representing 20 to, "keeping count of goals or points in athletic competition by 'marking' them onto wood or paper; marking down musical notes; an account/billing kept on record." Further, from the idea of marking down points or goals, the word transferred to a term for those very points or goals, 'a score,' which later came to be used also as a slang term for "to have sex," generally used more by men. The "cutting" notion remains in "to score meat, fish, bread;" that is, "to put a series of cuts into a food when cooking it." The verb form came from the noun in the late 1300s. Relatives of "score:" Icelandic "skora" (notch, groove), Danish "skår" (swath; that is, "a path or row 'cut' through brush and trees"), Norwegian "skår" (shards; that is, 'pieces cut or broken from a larger object;" it also means "indentation;" that is, 'a cut into the main body'), Swedish "skåra" ('a cut, a notch').
WORD HISTORY:
Score-This word, closely related to "shear," and also to "share," goes back to Indo European "sker," which meant "to cut." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "skura/skoru," with the general meaning, "to cut a mark into something with an knife or other implement, to cut an opening into an object." This gave Old Norse "skor," which meant "notch." This was borrowed into Old English (Anglo-Saxon), in circa 1000, as "scoru," which had the meaning, "notch cut into an object representing 20." This then became "skore," before the modern version. The additional meanings for the word essentially broadened the idea of a notch representing 20 to, "keeping count of goals or points in athletic competition by 'marking' them onto wood or paper; marking down musical notes; an account/billing kept on record." Further, from the idea of marking down points or goals, the word transferred to a term for those very points or goals, 'a score,' which later came to be used also as a slang term for "to have sex," generally used more by men. The "cutting" notion remains in "to score meat, fish, bread;" that is, "to put a series of cuts into a food when cooking it." The verb form came from the noun in the late 1300s. Relatives of "score:" Icelandic "skora" (notch, groove), Danish "skår" (swath; that is, "a path or row 'cut' through brush and trees"), Norwegian "skår" (shards; that is, 'pieces cut or broken from a larger object;" it also means "indentation;" that is, 'a cut into the main body'), Swedish "skåra" ('a cut, a notch').
Labels: English, etymology, Germanic languages, obstructionism, Old Norse, problem solving
posted by Randy at 8:15 AM
1 Comments:
Once the "minority communities" start voting at full strenght, The "white majority" will realize they are the minority and will be more willing to compromise. It will take a while for the new majority to figure out they have the power. The numbers appear good for a generation of compromise. Hopefully the radicals on both sides will be contained to a subservient role for many years.
Post a Comment
<< Home