Comments on: What is in a word? http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/ Sharing ideas and provocations on living single while happy. Reflecting on the social psychology of stereotypes and other cultural phenomena. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:46:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: trauma queen http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-3031 trauma queen Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:15:54 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-3031 stereotypes such as these always exist. the few of us who think out of the box need to grit our teeth and bear with it. we have a loooooooooooooooong way to go before the world stopped associating alone with lonely sigh! stereotypes such as these always exist. the few of us who think out of the box need to grit our teeth and bear with it. we have a loooooooooooooooong way to go before the world stopped associating alone with lonely

sigh!

]]> By: Rachel http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2996 Rachel Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:50:20 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-2996 Great idea, April! I filed a <a href="http://thesaurus.reference.com/help/forms/webmaster.html?Incorrect%20information" rel="nofollow">"incorrect information"</a> message with the following: <blockquote> In your entries for synonyms for "unmarried" (http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/unmarried), you are including words with both negative and positive connotation. Putting words like "lonely" and "alone" in the same category perpetuates the stereotypes that we singles face on a daily basis. Being alone does not mean being lonely. Being single does not mean being unattached. I am very attached to my son and my friends, for example. Please help us fight these outmoded stereotypes by removing the negative associations from your list of synonyms, just like the synonyms for married are positive, not something like "caged," or "unfree." Thank you! Rachel P.S.: I wrote more about these entries at http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/ </blockquote> Great idea, April! I filed a “incorrect information” message with the following:

In your entries for synonyms for “unmarried” (http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/unmarried), you are including words with both negative and positive connotation. Putting words like “lonely” and “alone” in the same category perpetuates the stereotypes that we singles face on a daily basis. Being alone does not mean being lonely. Being single does not mean being unattached. I am very attached to my son and my friends, for example. Please help us fight these outmoded stereotypes by removing the negative associations from your list of synonyms, just like the synonyms for married are positive, not something like “caged,” or “unfree.”

Thank you!

Rachel

P.S.: I wrote more about these entries at http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/

]]> By: April http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2995 April Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:07:01 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-2995 Rachel, I think you need to send this to the makers of thesaurus.com. It's not going to change until we start taking a stand! Rachel, I think you need to send this to the makers of thesaurus.com. It’s not going to change until we start taking a stand!

]]> By: Special K http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2994 Special K Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:03:13 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-2994 Your point that ALONE DOES NOT EQUAL loneliness is what we need to highlight here. Our culture equates the two...but the fact remains, that loneliness is a spiritual reality. We are driven to fall in love in hopes that this loneliness will dissapate, but it doesn't...in marriage, in friendship, in productive and meaningful work, we still will feel lonely. Instead of trying to "fix" it...I think we need to embrace it! Your point that ALONE DOES NOT EQUAL loneliness is what we need to highlight here. Our culture equates the two…but the fact remains, that loneliness is a spiritual reality. We are driven to fall in love in hopes that this loneliness will dissapate, but it doesn’t…in marriage, in friendship, in productive and meaningful work, we still will feel lonely. Instead of trying to “fix” it…I think we need to embrace it!

]]> By: Rachel http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2989 Rachel Sun, 31 May 2009 20:52:12 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-2989 Oh, that's a good take on "me and my shadow"! "...a single man desperate to find a woman and settle down just because that is what life is supposed to be like." This is one of the things that makes me so angry! How many people end up in unhappy conjugal relationships/marriage just because we're supposed to couple up! I know I have been there! Maybe it is time to create a new word to get away from all that baggage! <a href="http://onely.org/the-practice-of-being-onely/" rel="nofollow">Onely</a> is certainly a good option. The disadvantage of using a new word is that you have to explain yourself. Although maybe that's the advantage - if I use a word like "spinster" people might just assume that they know what I am talking about... Oh, that’s a good take on “me and my shadow”!

“…a single man desperate to find a woman and settle down just because that is what life is supposed to be like.” This is one of the things that makes me so angry! How many people end up in unhappy conjugal relationships/marriage just because we’re supposed to couple up! I know I have been there!

Maybe it is time to create a new word to get away from all that baggage! Onely is certainly a good option. The disadvantage of using a new word is that you have to explain yourself. Although maybe that’s the advantage – if I use a word like “spinster” people might just assume that they know what I am talking about…

]]> By: Singlutionary http://www.rabe.org/what-is-in-a-word-2/comment-page-1/#comment-2988 Singlutionary Sun, 31 May 2009 20:31:51 +0000 http://www.rabe.org/?p=904#comment-2988 Ahhhhh. I kinda like "me and my shadow" because in solitude I can really hear my own voice and enjoy my own company. I think it would be nice to come up with a word for positive single living which isn't gender specific. Because, while I do notice that most of us happily single bloggers are female, I think that we have a lot in common with our male counterparts . . . more than we might think. Single men are stereotyped as being shallow or just wanting to get laid or not being grown up and I've met plenty a single man desperate to find a woman and settle down just because that is what life is supposed to be like. Hmmmmm. I guess I would just go with Lisa and Cristina's "Onely" (onely.org) which could be used as an adjective or a noun. Ahhhhh. I kinda like “me and my shadow” because in solitude I can really hear my own voice and enjoy my own company.

I think it would be nice to come up with a word for positive single living which isn’t gender specific. Because, while I do notice that most of us happily single bloggers are female, I think that we have a lot in common with our male counterparts . . . more than we might think. Single men are stereotyped as being shallow or just wanting to get laid or not being grown up and I’ve met plenty a single man desperate to find a woman and settle down just because that is what life is supposed to be like.

Hmmmmm. I guess I would just go with Lisa and Cristina’s “Onely” (onely.org) which could be used as an adjective or a noun.

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