Comments on: Condescending

By: Backyard Wrestling DVD

Backyard Wrestling DVD — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:04:12 +0000

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By: WordVixen

WordVixen — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:33:19 +0000

Dave- I’m so glad this post was useful to you! I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen (but I admit, the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice does beat the book on a few points- I think Elizabeth Bennett’s attitude comes across so well on screen, and Colin Firth is amazing at Mr. Darcy’s intense looks) and I just wrote this post as a kind of editorial. A few years ago a freelance writer friend of mine wrote a post on how “nice” wasn’t always such a “nice” word (originally it was an offensive term for a perfectionist, but in a snobby kind of way). You’ll probably come across that a lot in your reading as well, as in “don’t be nice!”.

I thoroughly agree with you- there is so much to P&P and the rest of Jane Austen’s work that can’t be appreciated in the same way when you’re young. I’m 30 and only discovered it a year or two ago, and even now I know that I’ll be able to appreciate it more as I “grow up”.

Thank you so much for the comment!

By: Dave McCarthy, Ireland

Dave McCarthy, Ireland — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:19:44 +0000

Thank you so much for this explanation. I was thrown by the use of the word condescending, as it seemed in every case to imply something positive in the person’s behaviour. I am three quarters way through Pride and Prejudice, and it is my first time reading it, even though I am 50. I consider myself quite lucky to have “discovered” Jane Austen’s wonderful writing at this stage of my life, as I think the themes appeal to a mature reader quite differently from the way they do for younger readers.

By: WordVixen

WordVixen — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:46:05 +0000

Merry- Me too, I think etymology is fascinating. In fact, I like to listen to Beth Moore teach on the Bible, because she gets as geeky as me about things like transliteration and etymology. Did you know that supposedly the transliteration for “manna” is “what?” ? Question mark included!

Lori- Exactly. Condescension isn’t a bad thing in itself- it’s only a bad thing when it’s, er, fake. And yeah, the condescending friends thing is the most annoying situation. I tend to not stay in contact with those “friends” after a while.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:45:50 +0000

Rank does exist – and sadly, some people assume a rank and try cramming it down our throats. I’ve had friends – FRIENDS – condescend to me in front of others. Okay, so that’s a sick, twisted person with some agenda, but don’t we often put our agendas into our actions? That’s how I think the word “condescend” got so tarnished. If it were reserved to those who were actually worthy of condescending, fine.
.-= Lori´s last blog ..Freelance or Full Time? =-.

By: Merry

Merry — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:59:31 +0000

Happy New Year, Wordvixen!!!

I love finding the roots of words and phrases, it’s just so interesting to see where they come from, and how they’ve changed in meaning. I think you’re more familiar with the different connotations if you’re a history or historical fiction buff, and a lot of people can’t look past their current understanding of phrases when they read books from the past. (Thinking Huckleberry Finn is racist – the author’s meaning was the exact opposite, but he used words common during the time period)