# Elitism that you (ashamedly) participate in. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232 "2010-04-24T18:42:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/141 "2010-04-29T19:28:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Warm brie tastes like semen. Just sayin’. I like to use the reverse as a come in line in bars. Doesnt work as well as one would think. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/142 "2010-04-29T20:26:02Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I like to use the reverse as a come in line in bars. > > Doesnt work as well as one would think. Maybe next time try to work it in \*before \*you come. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/143 "2010-04-29T22:30:37Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > Oh no, I totally get it. But in my job as a tech writer, I prefer non-serif fonts for easier reading and transferability (nothing like formatting a doc in Tahoma only to have the receiver not have that in their font base and not know how to install a font). > > When I was in marketing, i was all about cool fontage. But Helvetica IS a sanserif. It’s THE sanserif. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/144 "2010-04-29T22:40:51Z")
For me, it’s whenever someone calls Leonardo da Vinci “da Vinci”. It’s LEONARDO!!! Do you call our President “From Hawaii”? NO, YOU DO NOT!! (and not just if you’re a “birther”. No one calls him that.) Anyway, it drives me nuts every time. That goes for the stupid “[Leonardo] Code” books and movies, too. See? I can’t even type it, it makes me so mad. But it’s such a widespread error, I feel ashamed for not just going with the flow. ---
**Author:** ![put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/put_down_the_sabre)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/145 "2010-04-29T22:47:23Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Nah, in Tokyo you either get home by the last train or stay out all night. That’s what we did, anyway. Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t have been happier if the trains and subways were running 24 hours, but events were pretty much structured around the limitations of the system. (E.g., a friend’s band would be playing at a show where the opening band wouldn’t start until something like 10 or 11 p.m., and then the thing would run through 5 or 6 a.m., maybe later.) Right, but what if you want to stay out past midnight, but not stay out all night? For example, if you have work in the morning? In Tokyo, unless you get a hotel, it’s going to cost you a pricey taxi ride. pdts ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/146 "2010-04-29T23:25:55Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Everytime I’ve eaten at Olive Garden, I’ve liked it. This has only been twice, but I loved their bread sticks and pasta fagioli. Okay, let me clarify: I like Olive Garden okay, but it seems like my husband and I get gift cards from them for the only five places that my in-laws will eat, even with suggestions for other stuff. This also goes for Kohl’s, which my MIL loves and I can’t actually find much that fits properly; I tell her this, and she thinks I’m insane. She hasn’t, however, taken into account that I am several inches taller than her, have different proportions and neither dress like her age (30+ years my senior) or like her daughter (who can wear stuff out of the Juniors’ section). ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/147 "2010-04-30T03:15:29Z")
I feel myself superior to message board posters who post without paying attention to the subject line or OP, thus posting stories that don’t really fit the original intent. I’m _ashamed_ of this because I know that some people might genuinely have a brain fart, misread, or follow some other mistaken poster’s lead. But I read and follow intent, dammit! I’m superior to those people! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/148 "2010-04-30T15:12:33Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > For me, it’s whenever someone calls Leonardo da Vinci “da Vinci”. The way I point it out to people is to ask them if they’d refer to St. Francis of Assisi as “of Assisi.” > [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > Right, but what if you want to stay out past midnight, but not stay out all night? For example, if you have work in the morning? In Tokyo, unless you get a hotel, it’s going to cost you a pricey taxi ride. Well, there was one night we slept out under the cherry trees after a night of hanami. 😃 Generally speaking, though, we always just structured our plans so that we’d (a) be done in time to catch the last train or (b) stay out until the trains started up again. And it would have been a \*ridiculously \*expensive taxi ride for me, since I actually lived in the neighboring city of Kawasaki. (_Kanagawa-ken_, _Kawasaki-shi_, _Tama-ku_, if anyone’s curious. My stop was the \*Ikuta \*station on the \*Odakyuu \*line–one stop down from _Mukougaoka-yuuen_.) ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/149 "2010-04-30T18:14:52Z")
> [@nashiitashii](#): > > This also goes for Kohl’s, which my MIL loves and I can’t actually find much that fits properly; I tell her this, and she thinks I’m insane. She hasn’t, however, taken into account that I am several inches taller than her, have different proportions and neither dress like her age (30+ years my senior) or like her daughter (who can wear stuff out of the Juniors’ section). My mom is constantly buying things for me at Kohl’s and yet we’ve never, ever had the same taste. Also, she wants my decorating advice because I “always do a nice job” and then she turns down every suggestion I make. I now have a cardinal rule not to shop with my mother or give her advice on anything. It annoys her and she keeps trying - but my sanity is the better for it. As for gifts from Kohl’s - I usually end up trading it for something in housewares. ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/150 "2010-04-30T20:22:18Z")
heh i’ve done the anime elitism thing and as every anime elitist has their pet series, mine was galaxy express. with the recent release of all 113 episodes of the 78-79 series subtitled, i was unfortunately brought down a peg by just how stupid some of the individual episodes were vs. the wonderful and compact movies. seriously, the first movie essentially tells the whole story of the series in 2 hours, and has %200 more captain Harlock. IIRC i’ve actually met some people on the board at anime conventions waay back. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/151 "2010-04-30T21:08:37Z")
…wait, do you go to AWA? I remember something about a hentai pope? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/152 "2010-04-30T21:13:22Z")
Don’t want to _know_, don’t want to _know_… ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/153 "2010-05-01T01:38:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > …wait, do you go to AWA? I remember something about a hentai pope? why yes, yes i do… and now you know. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/154 "2010-05-07T02:12:28Z")
I am an elitist regarding the “purity” of the plants I grow. No hybrids please - I want plants with field data provenance. On the other hand, my son is an audiophile who used to sneer at my horrible audio stuff…like mp3. Then he realized that my hearing losses make me unable to appreciate his 10K+ equipment. On the other hand, my ranting about plant genome purity leaves him befuddled. Part of our elitism may be based on our ability to understand/appreciate certain qualities. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/155 "2010-05-07T02:20:32Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > Part of our elitism may be based on our ability to understand/appreciate certain qualities. Sure. The more you know, the more you _can_ appreciate. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/156 "2010-05-07T02:30:13Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “You’re a little too far - you only need to highlight from, shit, just email the damned thing to me and I’ll fix it and email it back to you.” Please stop using your email server as a file server. Save the file to a network drive and email the link. Thank you for your time. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/157 "2010-05-07T06:03:40Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Traditional Chinese characters and bo-po-mo-fo. I was quite snooty in college when I would write out exercises on the blackboard in traditional characters and none of my whitebread, simplified character-studying classmates could understand it. And they pronounced > 我 as “whoah” 'cause they thought that’s the way it was “spelled” in pinyin. Dorks. Koxinga, are you an ABC? Oh, that might be me sometimes. In my undergraduate days, lots of people came wandering up to me while I was minding my own business to ask for help on their Chinese homework. My university offered two tracks - one that taught traditional Chinese characters and bopomofo, and the other that taught simplified characters and pinyin. Anyway I was usually nice about it, because I thought it was pretty cool that people would be interested in learning Mandarin as opposed to an easier (for a native English speaker) language like Spanish or French. But yikes, simplified Chinese really is ugly and incomplete looking. I grew up learning traditional characters, so I’d have to guess with simplified characters that many of those people were learning. If I was in a crabby mood, I would have taken one look at it and been like, sorry, I don’t know simplified. Bopomofo is easier for me, too, mostly because I learned it way earlier in life than pinyin. It’s still not completely intuitive for me that something like 撮 can be written out as “cuo” in pinyin. But to see it as “ㄘㄨㄛ” is easier, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/158 "2010-05-07T07:01:01Z")
Is Bopomofo basically hiragana and katakana for Chinese? ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/159 "2010-05-07T22:18:45Z")
^ Hmm, not exactly. Zhuyin fuhao (bopomofo) is used primarily as a pronunciation guide, especially when learning hanzi. So it can be similar in a way: Japanese children, while learning kanji, read hiragana as stand-ins for the kanji. Similarly, Taiwanese children read zhuyin as stand-ins for the hanzi. But you won’t really find zhuyin fuhao in every day usage, only in instances for pronunciation purposes (like school textbooks for young children, dictionary, input method for Chinese characters, etc). There are no instances where zhuyin fuhao is used to write words not derived from traditional characters (unlike hiragana, katakana…) because everything is all about traditional characters. The Chinese language does not intermix hanzi and zhuyin fuhao the way that the Japanese language intermixes kanji, hiragana, and katakana. ---
**Author:** ![hougaswd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@hougaswd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hougaswd)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232/160 "2010-05-08T00:45:28Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > Real sci fi geeks like me don’t go to \* Twilight \*movies. Vampires don’t sparkle in the sun. > > Sci fi geeks don’t go mainstream. We are with the dungeons and the dragons - not with you fluffy types that think Harry Potter is cool but haven’t read any of the books or seen Draco Malfoy or Neville Longbottom in person at Dragon\*Con. And we know that Tom Baker is the best Dr. Who and what “all your bases are belong to us” is all about. And we understand the joke about how there are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary code, and those who don’t. No, no, no, no, no! ARGH! D&D: Not SciFi. Not even close. Try “Fantasy” Dr. Who: It has time travel. So what? It still sucks. Television science fiction and movies (with very few exceptions) are a bad joke in comparison to the written stuff. William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Larry Niven, Roger Zelazny, Johnathan Letham, Frank Herbert, David Brin, John Varley, Samuel Delaney, Philip Dick, Vernor Vinge. These people write is what I consider good quality science fiction. (I’m aware that Stephenson also writes historical fiction). OK, I guess I fail on the original question. I’m not even slightly embarrassed that I have high standards in what is a mostly crap genre. Walt [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elitism-that-you-ashamedly-participate-in/537232.md?page=9)