24 December 2016
I infer from context that “Pound” is the new hip groovy way that the cool kids emphasize a statement rather than the stodgy old “exclamation” or “!”. So take your pick, “PoundPinNotSafe” or “#PinNotSafe” or “PinNotSafe!”. Since I love both language and orthography, I tend to spell things out. (Though I still abbreviate “et cetera” as “&c.”)
Now to my point. I am torn between being amused and being annoyed by the newly minted meme of employing the “Safety Pin” as a sign of refuge from “The Haters.” It’s intended to say to those delicate darlings who are distraught by the Democrat Debacle, “I know you’re scared by the failure of a racist and misogynistic and homophobic and just plain mean America to anoint Saint Hillary as Commissar-in-Chief, but you’re safe with me.”
“You’re safe with me.” Hey! Here’s a pop quiz, or an exercise for the advanced student. What would a predator say to a frightened child?
The so-called “Safety Pin” amounts to little more than virtue signaling, which the actually virtuous never do. That “Safety Pin” is NOT your guarantee of safety, because your childish fantasies are not safe in the presence of reason. I will NOT pretend that your wishes, whims, beliefs, and biases are actual informed opinions worthy of consideration or respect. They are not. Or maybe it just means that I’m an insensitive jerk. Nolo contendere.
update 200508: “It’s called a ‘hash tag.’” Don’t be silly. It’s been called both “pound” and “number” for generations. Who is going to be so tediously stupid as to invent a two syllable expression for a common character that already has a one syllable name? Okeh, not everybody remembers junior juniorhigh all that clearly, or work as grocers, or apothecaries, or shipping clerks, or longshoremen, or accountants, or cashiers, or… So admittedly, our brains slip a cog every now and then, so we might wonder, what’s that cross-hatched looking thingy on my keyboard, and hence was needlessly and inaccurately invented “hashtag.” And it’s still not right. Because the character is cross-HATCHED, not HASHED!
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