Fun With Words: Pretentious

[Strain42]

It's kinda like when you say something isn't true and someone says you're in denial, or you're being defensive. Because the only option you have is saying "No, I'm not." and that starts the whole vicious cycle over again.

 

[Malty Milk Whistle]

Holy shit, the irony is killing me here.

I love it when things like this happen.

I get happy at first, but then when it keeps happening I start to get a little bit embarrassed. It's like X-Factor try-outs.

Are you kidding? that's the best part of the X FACTAAAAAH! so many angry, ANGRY people...

OT: I'm pretty sure you've been called out on this, but your logic does not compute.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Holy shit, the irony is killing me here.

I love it when things like this happen.

I get happy at first, but then when it keeps happening I start to get a little bit embarrassed. It's like X-Factor try-outs.

Are you kidding? that's the best part of the X FACTAAAAAH! so many angry, ANGRY people...

OT: I'm pretty sure you've been called out on this, but your logic does not compute.

Baby Uragaan is right you guys!

Have you ever known an Uragaan to lie?

I didn't think so.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Hahaha... this is funny, but not for the reasons the OP may think.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The circular logic threatens to consume us!
Hang on! The rescue team is almost here!

 

[Panayjon]

By your own logic you're being pretentious by saying someone is being pretentious for describing someone else as pretentious. And now I'm being pretentious for saying you're being pretentious for saying someone is being pretentious for describing someone else as pretentious.

Do you see the problem yet?

Also, Holy shit 888th post!

Holy shit, the irony is killing me here.

I love it when things like this happen.

The circular logic threatens to consume us!
Hang on! The rescue team is almost here!

Circular logic is why I made this thread

Wow, I hope my sarcasm didn't fly over your head right there.

No, that's not the point. I don't think it's a good idea to label something or someone pretentious at the drop of a hat. If you actually understand the big words you're using, then I'd hardly call that pretentious. It's more like putting up a thin facade of something or other. Whether it's being a pseudo-intellectual, a fake DJ, a wannabe gangster, or even a so-called "gamer". It's not "pretentious" to see right through fake people when they don't add up.

Also, no the sarcasm didn't go over my head but when confronted with it you have two options: confront it with humor (which I failed at I guess) or ignore it. Apparently my usage of horrible and fucking (hard to believe such a fun thing is a bad word) wasn't obvious enough.

As for the people who get called pretentious though, most of the time they aren't at all. Yet they DO get called pretentious, it seems to me anyways, at the drop of a hat. For instance...

I don't really think it's the case of having an opinion that makes you pretentious. I feel James Portnow is very pretentious. He seems to believe that working in the gaming industry for a brief period of time gives him impunity to speak about every facet of gaming; including creation, business relations , history and even to how you as a consumer should be spending your money, with absolute impunity.

pre·ten·tious/priˈtenCHəs/Adjective: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

But he didn't just work for a brief period of time. From their website:

James Portnow is a one-of-a-kind gaming gallivanteer based in Seattle, Washington. He gained a Masters of Entertainment Technology degree at Carnegie Mellon?s Entertainment Technology Center and afterwards got a job at Activision working on the early Call of Duty series.

He then raised funds to help start an indie studio called Divide By Zero Games, and became a journalist for Edge, Gamasutra, and The Escapist. During his time as a journalist, he started attending game conferences and became a major speaker for game design theories.

After hitting some financial problems at DBZ, he left to run Rainmaker Games, a consulting firm that has worked with such clients as Warner Bros. Interactive and Zynga. He also lectures for students at DigiPen Institute of Technology taking their Bachelors and Masters degrees of Game Design.

He recently co-wrote a book about invented languages being published by Oxford University Press this fall.

Yes, he has opinions but he's never said you are a god-damned stupid fucking waste of space for not doing what they say. Its all theory crafting. He has a wealth of experience and no matter how much time he's spent working in a studio, I think he's spent plenty of time in and around the industry at least.

If you use the word pretentious to describe something or someone you think is pretentious, then you're being pretentious. If the original victim of the pretentious accusation was indeed being pretentious then the accuser is justified but remains pretentious. If the accused was not being pretentious then the it becomes that the original accuser of pretentious opinion is now solely pretentious.

So, what I guess I'm really saying is language is fun, but some words just don't need to be used. Unless its to make a self-righteous forum post, of course.

What if you were an english Professor who had an incredibly large vocabulary who was talking down to one of his (or her) pupils? Say the pupil was acting over their own ability in order to attempt to be seen as an equal to the professor. The professor asserts that they are indeed pretentious because the pupil is:

pre·ten·tious/priˈtenCHəs/Adjective: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

More over the professor possesses a great intellect and knowledge of his field, accurately labelling people as pretentious while not being pretentious themselves because they possess great expertise and authority over the english language. What I'm saying is this post is pretentious since I could have just said people who use the word pretentious unironically are just posers.

That is of course a very easy and verifiable situation though. Though, that is definitely a very good way to put it.

I was hoping this would turn into a discussion of favorite words. I feel mislead by the title. However, pretentious is one of my favorite words and one I feel accurately portrays most "reality celebrities." It's also fun to use words like pretentious around people who don't know what the word means. Yes I am aware that makes me pretentious.

Also "asinine" is a good one. Like what this thread has turned out to be.

Oh, it was headed there from the very start, unavoidable really. However, its no different from most of the stuff in the forums so I feel its well placed. Personally I'd love it if people played more with their word choice and composition. Its a two-for-one deal!

No OP, you're being a philistine or possibly anti-intellectual (subjectively) by labelling one thing or another as pretentious (subjectively).

It's interesting how little the etymology of the word is considered before its use, given that it derives, presumably, from pretense. A pretense of intellectualism, one would suppose, is what's to be inferred. Which is often not consistent with the use of the word by anti-intellectual philistines.

B-but its a thought exercise! I'm not talking about one thing or another, but the term itself (hence the "fun with words part"). Although, I'm definitely being pretentious by being bothered to be thought a philistine

Anyways, well that was fun. But I'm sure this will get buried in the back somewhere soon enough. Thanks for playing everyone!

 

[Atmos Duality]

Circular logic is why I made this thread

I know. I'm just making a jib because I've become EXTREMELY TIRED of people calling things "pretentious", instead of creating informed counter-points on the subject.

My friend does that all the damn time; it's either "That person is pretentious" or "They're preaching". So what sort of argument is neither? The one that comes from a person you arbitrarily LIKE? Well that's useless, because that doesn't attack the argument, just the person making it.

Pointing that little tidbit out ("Calling pretentious IS (or rather, could be) pretentious itself") gave me a laugh, given how long I have put up with it.

An ironic laugh, but a laugh all the same.

 

[CAPTCHA]

As much as I would enjoy reciprocating with one of bourgeois class, one must first attend to his daily jog. If only I could find my blasted Apple products, what.

/snoot

 

[FalloutJack]

If you use the word pretentious to describe something or someone you think is pretentious, then you're being pretentious. If the original victim of the pretentious accusation was indeed being pretentious then the accuser is justified but remains pretentious. If the accused was not being pretentious then the it becomes that the original accuser of pretentious opinion is now solely pretentious.

So, what I guess I'm really saying is language is fun, but some words just don't need to be used. Unless its to make a self-righteous forum post, of course.

Problem: The use of words does not automatically cause a paradox in their use. Saying a thing doesn't automatically make you a thing. This is your fallacy, another fun word.

 

[Malty Milk Whistle]

If you use the word pretentious to describe something or someone you think is pretentious, then you're being pretentious. If the original victim of the pretentious accusation was indeed being pretentious then the accuser is justified but remains pretentious. If the accused was not being pretentious then the it becomes that the original accuser of pretentious opinion is now solely pretentious.

So, what I guess I'm really saying is language is fun, but some words just don't need to be used. Unless its to make a self-righteous forum post, of course.

Problem: The use of words does not automatically cause a paradox in their use. Saying a thing doesn't automatically make you a thing. This is your fallacy, another fun word.

Fallacy sounds like a kind of fresh biscuit.
That's my slightly warped 2 cents. But yea, if i called OP a Dick (i'm not calling him/her one) that would not make me a dick. It would, cause your opinion of me to change.
If that made sense.

 

[kurupt87]

Although, I'm definitely being pretentious by being bothered to be thought a philistine

No, it is not pretentious to feel insulted when being insulted.

Unless, of course, you accept that you are a philistine and you were acting pretentiously.

...

Awkward.

 

[FalloutJack]

If you use the word pretentious to describe something or someone you think is pretentious, then you're being pretentious. If the original victim of the pretentious accusation was indeed being pretentious then the accuser is justified but remains pretentious. If the accused was not being pretentious then the it becomes that the original accuser of pretentious opinion is now solely pretentious.

So, what I guess I'm really saying is language is fun, but some words just don't need to be used. Unless its to make a self-righteous forum post, of course.

Problem: The use of words does not automatically cause a paradox in their use. Saying a thing doesn't automatically make you a thing. This is your fallacy, another fun word.

Fallacy sounds like a kind of fresh biscuit.
That's my slightly warped 2 cents. But yea, if i called OP a Dick (i'm not calling him/her one) that would not make me a dick. It would, cause your opinion of me to change.
If that made sense.

*Hands you a fresh biscuit*

Congratulations, you've succeeded in logic.