Isms, Vocabulary

[kyra_ojosverdes]

[over dinner]

• James (age 12): "Mom, whenever we go shopping for like one specific thing, you go into 'shopping mode' and want to look at everything!"¹
• Mark (age 10): "Yeah, women are like that."
• Me: "Mark, that's sexist."
• Mark: *thinks for a bit* "Yeah, I go into shopping mode too sometimes and want to look at everything. Especially if we're in the video games section!"
• Me: "Lots of people do, and it doesn't have much to do with gender."
• James: "Is there such a thing as ageist?"
• Me: "Yes."
• James: "Or sizeist?"
• Me: "Yes. There are lots of ways people identify groups which are like them and say that their group is better than other groups. Society gives us certain messages like thin people are better than fat people, that attractive people are better than unattractive people, that young people are much more attractive than older people but only older people can be trusted and that elderly people aren't valuable at all, that people with lighter skin are better than people with darker skin..."
• James & Mark: *think a bit*
• James: *smirks* "You could save time and just say that you are better than everyone else. That way you don't have to decide who's in your group and who isn't."
• Mark: "What's that called? Individualist?"
• Me: "Narcissist, actually."
• James & Mark: *rolling eyes as I am obviously pulling their legs* "Nuh-UH!!"

(I explained that yes, narcissist is a word, and told them the story of Narcissus.)


1. Actually, I always want to look at everything. When I'm in a store, that means browsing the merchandise. Anywhere else, it means constantly asking myself "am I being rude by too closely examining my surroundings?" Say, if my surroundings happen to be someone's home or place of business.

Comments

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

True. :-)

I was thinking of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The story of Narcissus is indeed about being in love with himself.

Doesn't elitist imply that you belong to a group of also better-than-everyone-elses, as opposed to being the singular best person ever?

[vocalista001.livejournal.com]

Great conversation, by the way.

*chuckle*

I enjoy hearing the exchanges you have with the kids.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

I should find and link the various sex-ed conversations I've posted...


... yeah, no men living in this house, I'm on my own with that.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Oh... while we were in the store I wandered over to the lingerie section because I need another work bra. The boys were intently studying the carpet. (James did so silently, Mark offered running commentary on omg there's women's underwear here, don't look up James, how embarassing to be surrounded by omg women's underwear...)

I grabbed a bra and said "James, the style I'm looking for isn't like this, with the closure in back. I want the type with the closure in front, and the straps making a T or Y in back. It's called a T-back or racing back style." Bingo: embarassment gone, he's got a job to do! Mark got into the search as well, and I found my bra a whole lot faster.

I have no illusions that this method will work in two years.


(I'm waiting for the day when Mark realizes what the mysterious object in my top drawer is... his current theory is that it might be related to blood pressure. My answer is always "It's rude to look through people's drawers and cabinets, stop invading my privacy." Moderately work-safe link (no image) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHIX6W/qid=1149568619/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/102-0622128-2479338?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hpc&v=glance&n=3760901) ... Moderately NSFW link (image is fine, neighboring links are... obvious) (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6664133)

on looking at the worksafe link

[andreas_schaefer]

I saw


its the thrills for dad that tickles me I have the suspicion this is not the context Amazons ad texters were thinking of.

[roguespirit.livejournal.com]

That probably depends on just how elitist you are.

[yndy.livejournal.com]

well, it doesn't get any more elite than a party of one! :)

But I was trying to be witty (and failing apparently... note to self: I'm not an elite comic!)

But perhaps Megalomaniac?

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Megalomaniac for the win!