Fearman's definitions
To imply condemnation of someone by praising them for utterly unimportant details. From Alexander Pope's Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot (1733): "Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer."
Damn with faint praise:
One thing you can say for the force that invaded Iraq, at least they kept their uniforms clean.
Among statesmen of the twentieth century, Joseph Stalin truly and undeniably knew how to trim his moustache.
The Creationist propaganda movie was recorded on what were physically some of the finest rolls of film I've ever watched. As for the arguments and evidence recorded on them, well ...,
From Batman (1989):
On the other hand he had a tremendous singing voice.
One thing you can say for the force that invaded Iraq, at least they kept their uniforms clean.
Among statesmen of the twentieth century, Joseph Stalin truly and undeniably knew how to trim his moustache.
The Creationist propaganda movie was recorded on what were physically some of the finest rolls of film I've ever watched. As for the arguments and evidence recorded on them, well ...,
From Batman (1989):
On the other hand he had a tremendous singing voice.
by Fearman March 4, 2008
Get the damn with faint praise mug.Currently an exile from his home on the fourth moon of the planet Zeta Reticuli f. Incidentally an atheist. Just think about it, if you were such a character and you wanted to hide on this planet, who would YOU pretend to be?
by Fearman February 22, 2008
Get the Pope mug.She was giving me the same old catpiss about how she couldn't get to work on time because she'd never expected the traffic to be so heavy.
by Fearman November 11, 2007
Get the catpiss mug.1. Movie directed by Alan Parker in 1978, loosely speaking about the real-life experiences of young American hashish smuggler Billy Hayes in a Turkish prison. Starring Brad Davis and John Hurt. Script by Oliver Stone.
2. To escape from prison or some other aversive situation. Reference taken from Parker's movie.
2. To escape from prison or some other aversive situation. Reference taken from Parker's movie.
Midnight Express had six nominations for Academy Awards and won two of them.
I had to catch the midnight express out of boarding school.
I had to catch the midnight express out of boarding school.
by Fearman May 24, 2008
Get the Midnight Express mug.Pseudoscientific diagnosis most often made of people by their narcissistic parents, in conjunction with airheaded social workers, so that the parents don't have to accept personal responsibility for ten to twenty years of filling the kid's head full of dysfunctional bullshit. Also useful, in our age of postmodernist relativism where science is seen as at once useful and deeply suspect, for purposes of claiming financial aid. The kids could probably do with the aid, but society doesn't need the quackery. Those who make a mint out of selling the notion of this condition often rope in a few undeniable autistic savants to their argument so as to confer a thin veneer of respectability on the whole enterprise.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Johnny and Mary Stewart could never get their asses out of bed in the morning and Mary filled little Billy's head with nonsense about how the world is full of people out to get him. When he was bullied in school she told him to ignore it. Now she's gadding about telling everyone he has Asperger's Syndrome. Surprise surprise.
by Fearman July 29, 2007
Get the asperger's mug.Verb describing penile amputation, especially when carried out by an amateur and soon followed by ejection of said organ out the window of a moving car. After the operation carried out by Lorena Bobbitt on her husband John Wayne Bobbitt.
You think you're a great lover boy, don't you? Well, if you don't swear blind you'll leave my wife alone, I'll bobbitt you!
by Fearman August 14, 2007
Get the bobbitt mug.1. Ready to accept on firm evidence that one's most cherished beliefs may be hogwash, but bearing in mind that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.
2. Politically correct synonym for "gullible" used by New Age quacks who want to sell you a bill of goods.
2. Politically correct synonym for "gullible" used by New Age quacks who want to sell you a bill of goods.
I am open-minded about the existence of the Judeo-Christian God. If he appears in the immortal flesh in the heavens to me and a few billion other people and manifests his power openly in such a manner that it cannot possibly be a dream, illusion, hallucination or anything of the sort, I'll accept he is there. In the meantime, it is more befitting the heritage of the human intellect to ignore such figures as mythical.
Open-mindedness is a virtue, but when dealing with New Age salespeople it is important to remember that if you keep your mind too open, your brain may fall out.
Open-mindedness is a virtue, but when dealing with New Age salespeople it is important to remember that if you keep your mind too open, your brain may fall out.
by Fearman March 29, 2008
Get the open-minded mug.