People instantly knowing what a term means is so elegant I like terms like that, even if they actually only make any sense to a minority of people.
The implausibility of the premise of X-men is so blatant I've stopped even bothering to mention it in posts about the subject. I can't remember if the idea of a single X-gene (which is presumably a switch) is how they describe it, I think so. I think it's less stupid than *not* being a single gene given that everyone either is or isn't X. But it's still stupid, for instance, why are the effects so precise? Where are the half-developed or unusable effects? (Of course, it's fiction, if you stuck to consistent physics and evolution you wouldn't have a story. But they still ride rougher-shod than they need to.)
On the other hand I really don't think Atheist belongs on the list.
I know what you mean. However, to use your terminology, I would say that atheist mean "not believing in any gods", not necessarily actively. However, due to the fact that most atheists *are* active (because until recently most communities were religious, and hence only active people became atheists) and because most atheists are atheist because they're rationalist, we use the term atheist to band together anyone rationalistic and anti-religious.
Of course, I may be wrong -- the word may have shifted to mean only those more active people. Some people claim so. But so far as I'm aware it still potentially includes Buddhists-who-don't-call-anything-god and spiritualists and flying-saucer-freaks.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-05 01:12 am (UTC)The implausibility of the premise of X-men is so blatant I've stopped even bothering to mention it in posts about the subject. I can't remember if the idea of a single X-gene (which is presumably a switch) is how they describe it, I think so. I think it's less stupid than *not* being a single gene given that everyone either is or isn't X. But it's still stupid, for instance, why are the effects so precise? Where are the half-developed or unusable effects? (Of course, it's fiction, if you stuck to consistent physics and evolution you wouldn't have a story. But they still ride rougher-shod than they need to.)
On the other hand I really don't think Atheist belongs on the list.
I know what you mean. However, to use your terminology, I would say that atheist mean "not believing in any gods", not necessarily actively. However, due to the fact that most atheists *are* active (because until recently most communities were religious, and hence only active people became atheists) and because most atheists are atheist because they're rationalist, we use the term atheist to band together anyone rationalistic and anti-religious.
Of course, I may be wrong -- the word may have shifted to mean only those more active people. Some people claim so. But so far as I'm aware it still potentially includes Buddhists-who-don't-call-anything-god and spiritualists and flying-saucer-freaks.