Space for Rent: Shibboleth

Tweet of the Day: The Radish Reviews

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shibboleth

shib·bo·leth

[shib-uh-lith, ‐leth] Show IPA

noun

1.

a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.

2.

a slogan; catchword.

3.

a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.

Origin:
< Hebrew shibbōleth  literally, freshet, a word used by the Gileadites as a test to detect the fleeing Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sound sh  (Judges 12:4–6)

This week I made the mistake of wadding into politically charged You Tube comment sections.

Yes, I know….

Still, I noticed something all to common to any internet arguments, the use and abuse of shibboleths. And they are use in the fullest meaning of the word (see above). They are codewords designed to tell apart the rabble from the true believers. They also double as catchy slogans for the masses. And they, once examined have very little meaning.

Just a bunch of nonsensical terms who the utterer thinks makes them special. Reminds me of my old post on Feigning Intelligence.  Mind you, we all can fall on this trap of empty utterances that sound deep but only reveal our utter and complete ignorance. And there is nothing wrong with breaking down complex concepts into its components for better understanding. But grabbing on to a set of magic words or terms in lieu of actual understanding is…well plain stupid.

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