Monday, March 02, 2009

Pointless Post #22

Internet memes do not work well in real life. Specifically, rickrolling and saying "fail" (or "epic fail" if that fancies you more). Or maybe I'm just too big of a nerd.

Sigh. I should probably get some fresh air.

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What are Pointless Posts?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

ya, for the record, definitely did NOT get what rickrolling was. but i think fail has a pretty obvious meaning so that one's still usable for real life. although if there's another meaning i'm supposed to be getting, i'm not.

Anonymous said...

Actually, "fail" and "epic fail" have been used here in Waterloo as descriptive nouns during normal conversation.

It is Waterloo, though.

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm a nerd too, because I understand all of those things. =(

Tim said...

jill - speculating that there's another meaning to 'fail' - FAIL

paulman - i enby you

jessica - i also :(

Bernice said...

ubc-ers use FAIL all the time. Epic fails... rarely (thank goodness)

Anonymous said...

this is going to be uber English nerdy, BUT it needs to be said: I'm pretty sure "fail" and "epic fail" are not descriptive nouns.

"fail" on its own would be a verb; it looks like an imperative with an implied you as in "(you) fail."

in "epic fail," "fail" would still be a verb, while "epic" would be an adverb (modifying the verb), although then it should be "(you) fail epic(ally)."

i guess "fail"/"epic fail" could be a predicate noun/subject complement if you viewed it as "(that is an) epic fail."

Tim said...

bernice - another reason why UBC > SFU
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Jill - I disagree. I will ignore the use of "epic fail" because I personally avoid the usage, unless I’m being nerdy on purpose (whoever's laughing, cut it out). But "fail" IS a descriptive noun, because of the usage. I will agree with you that "fail" on its own is intrinsically a verb, but as our language evolves, it’s now a descriptive noun, used on par with adjectives.

For example:

Scenario 1
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You’re convocating (convoking?), all dressed up in the cap and gown and just as you receive your degree thingy, I suddenly rush up to you on stage and yell "Fantastic!" or “Wunderbar!” (note adjective(s) use)

Scenario 2
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You pick out a flavour, pay the vendor, and start to eat your ice-cream cone, but the ice cream falls off the cone onto the ground, as you fumble with the leftover change in your other hand. I suddenly rush up to you and yell “Fail!” (descriptive noun)

See?
The following are a few more, less personal examples.

Scenario 3
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It’s raining. An elderly man backs up his car and hits a fire hydrant, causing pedestrians to get soaked. Someone (could be me) rushes up and yells “Double* fail!”
*(One for the old man’s driving, and two, because the pedestrians are assumed to be holding umbrellas that covered them from the rain, but not from the spray of the hydrant)

Scenario 4
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A little girl breaks from her parents’ hands to run through the park on a sunny day, but trips over her little feet, falling face first into a mud puddle, ruining her little frock. Fail. (also an “awww” moment, but in all seriousness, the parents should have done better). In a sense, this could also qualify as a double fail.

Scenario 5
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Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs, but get knocked out in the first round. Fail! (because they miss another chance at the cup, haha!)

Scenario 6
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Tim has readings to do, but didn’t do them. Fail!

It works on so many levels!

Anonymous said...

Ahhh I see.

And way to yell "Fail!" at my unfortunate (albeit hypothetical) ice cream topple!

Tim said...

i don't say "fail" for no reason.
Future Jill would have deserved it.