On 7/30/06, Gus S Calabrese <gsc@omegadogs.com> wrote:
> I would like comments on why various speakers in this forum use the
> term "we" to refer
> to the country they live in, the sports team they favor, some
> arbitrary group they belong to.
>
> examples:
> -- The USA are very good guys.  We always are on the side of freedom.
> -- Manchester plays great football. We might go to the finals.
> --  We engineers are really bone-headed about protecting out jobs.

"we" is the proper word to use when one is referring to a group to
which one belongs and which one believes they can represent.

Since I belong to the group of people who call ourselves fans of
University of Michigan football, then when I believe I am representing
all of the fans collectively, then I should use the word "we".

The problem with doing so in an engineering forum such as this is that

Choose one to continue the sentence:
1) we engineers
2) myself and many, if not most, engineers I am familair with

like to split hairs and think of things in a black/white manner if at
all possible (simplify the problem, solve the problem, then see if the
solution fits the particulars).

It's impossible to truly represent exactly 100% of every person in any
large group.  In practise one uses the word "we" when they believe
they represent either
1) the majority of the group or
2) believe they represent enough of a minority and they are speaking
to an audience that is familiar enough with the discussion that they
understand what "we" they are talking about when they say "we"

It's a shortcut.

If you find it offensive to be lumped in as a group with someone
else's use of "we, you, them," then in my opinion you are
interpretting the meaning of those words too tightly.  I fear you will
very often be offended when no offense was intended.  You could start
a campaign to make sure that everyone uses those words according to
your definition/connotation/etc, but I suspect this will actually be
counterproductive.

I hope this helps.

-Adam

>
> Please do not respond with " You know what I mean "
>
> Aggravating to me is when someone in the USA insists that I am part
> of the unwashed
> ho-hos that sent troops to IRAQ.  Or insist that I am responsible for
> poverty or bigotry or
> *&#^@^#^&.  Example:  "We must stop voting idiots into office."  I
> definitely am not part of this
> we.   or "We have the most benign military in the world "  Huh?  When
> did I buy a piece of
> Sergeant Rock , U.S. fighting marine ?
>
> Since this forum has the most intelligent members that I have
> encountered on the web,
> I want to know what "we" are thinking.  ( Just kidding about that
> last "we" )
>
> In my case I can say things like " We are confused " since I have
> multiple personalities.
> In fact, I am planning for the mature m personality ( 23% vote ) , to
> sue my party.on.dude
> personality ( 17% vote ) for irresponsible behaviour and collect on
> the insurance.
>
>
> Gus S Calabrese
> Denver, CO
> 720 222 1309     303 908 7716 cell
> Please include and do not limit yourself to "spam2006". I allow
> everything with  "spam2006"  in the subject or text to pass my spam
> filters.
>
>
>
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