Fanfreakingtastic!

In one word, Fanfreakingtastic!

This is, with out a doubt, the best book I have read in any subject throughout my college career! Robin Lakoff, though writing from as a descriptor of the intricacies of language and tone, doesn’t let her obvious mastery of the English language fall below an intellectual collegiate reading level. Her hidden insincerity is more than amusing as she relates certain issues in our present and past where semantics and word choices can become the seat of controversy and/or public favor.

Throughout the first chapter, she looked at the overabundance of semantics in America. If the word “nigger” is offensive, why is it in the dictionary and why is the fact that its offensive not stated immediately in its definition. She eloquently states that the word may not be offensive to everyone as many Americans use it as a form of greeting. She also states that its only a type of person who needs to look in the dictionary to define themselves. An uneducated person would see her as a racist, but not I. I see that it’s only certain people who dwell on such things in order to create controversy.

Should the word holocaust only portray the Nazi’s extermination of the Jews? Should they have hold of a word that has different definitions? Should a word be thrown into a single definition or would the common use of it take away from its meaning? Her points are endlessly amusing and thought-provoking. Her chapter on the status quo only enthused me more as she broke down certain topics that violate/perpetuate the norm and show how the language used can hold sway. I am currently reading the politically correct chapter but wish to reread the second chapter.