Convert to the cause explains his thinking

[this is my name]

A bit like some 'factions' consider "hillbillies" or in general, "Southerners", here, so as to depict their own "nobility" - which, to me, shows their lack of it.

Being from AR and not a fan of southern stereotype "jokes", I say thank you, Kent!

 

[Kent C]

Being from AR and not a fan of southern stereotype "jokes", I say thank you, Kent!

If the same thing was done to any other group, there'd be protests on college campi, and outrages on mainstream media.

 

[haleysdadda]

Proud to be a hillbilly from S.C.! Southern California that is!

 

[navigator2011]

Being from AR and not a fan of southern stereotype "jokes", I say thank you, Kent!

I'm from CA, but my family has strong southern roots and I was raised as such. Needless to say, I agree with your sentiment.

 

[rico942]

protests on college campi

A fellow Latin scholar ...

 

[AndriaD]

A fellow Latin scholar ...

Yet when I say "virii", people look at me like Also when I point out that "data" is plural; the singular is "datum."


Andria

 

[Jman8]

My favorite quotes / take on this:

1. McManus at the ecig Summit said: "“The tobacco lobby debating ecigs feels like the Church of England debating homesexuality.”

2. While that is humorous and poignant, the piece linked in OP elaborates on this:

And it seems to me something very similar goes on with e cigarettes. There are some who deeply, sincerely have a revulsion to e-cigarettes because they may fear, genuinely, that what has been done on denormalizing tobacco will be undone by e-cigarettes. Or they may look back on their careers and see that this sea change undermines many certainties they have. This is a painful place to be. I was somewhere not far from there on e-cigarettes not that long ago. But while I understand it, it doesn’t mean I am content to leave people there. We must move forward. We cannot use poor science on formaldehyde or particles or distortion of the precautionary principle as a justification for not moving forward. Public Health must be at the sharp end. There is often a delay between evidence and practice at the sharp end, as I remember from the early days of HIV.

3. And the concluding paragraph is simply worthy of re-quote / promotion:

And so, we are left with a choice: refuse to move and see people harmed avoidably. Or recognise and affirm what can be clearly recognised as beneficial, act when the evidence shows harm, and work as best we can, constantly discerning what the good is, while things are developing. Surely this is where public health skills, brought to serve the good of our citizens, were meant to be? Serve, discern and protect.

 

[Kent C]

Also when I point out that "data" is plural; the singular is "datum."

I misuse that - I think the UK does as well.

 

[AndriaD]

I misuse that - I think the UK does as well.

I think maybe the ship has sailed, for data, as with e-cigarettes; once something enters common usage, even if wrong, it's pretty much stuck that way. I suppose in the case of data it's not too egregious, since English has a great deal of Latin roots -- not least, the characters we use -- but is actually quite different from Latin in nearly every respect.

I would love to time-travel and see what a Roman would make of the U and W.

Andria

 

[rico942]

Also when I point out that "data" is plural; the singular is "datum."


Andria

Mister Datum just doesn't sound right ...

 

[rico942]

Rereading the McManus blog, this line stopped me in my tracks. It applies to many struggles to reveal the truth ...

The desire to do no harm needs to realise that doing nothing in this debate can be harmful.

 

[philoshop]

Politics requires that "something must be done."
Even if it's wrong.