Thursday, January 21, 2010

Real people

When did we start using "real people" to mean "people who aren't famous"?

The phrase can be useful in a different sense: "I don't want to call this company's customer service department, because you can never get through to a real person." That's appropriate because you're contrasting real people with things that literally aren't people but mere imitations -- computers, robots.

But when a political talk show host says something like, "And now, we're going to take a break from talking to our guests, and hear what some real people have to say about this issue," I have to feel sorry for those guests. They might be high-level politicians or pundits, but they're human beings too. Everyone's a real person.

8 comments:

Jason (the commenter) said...

Many celebrities are known for the roles they play. It is easy to confuse the role with the person. Therefore, we talk of "real people". English evolves.

What concerns me, is that in the last blog post Jaltcoh was considering calling black people "negroes". In this blog post he is taking issue with the way people use words. Specifically, that the meaning of words has changed since he was taught as a child. Is it just me, or is he starting to sound like an old person?

John Althouse Cohen said...

What concerns me, is that in the last blog post Jaltcoh was considering calling black people "negroes".

Hold on a second... I quoted Glenn Loury's reasoning for why there's nothing wrong with calling black people "negroes." I made no comment on this. When I post someone else's words without my own comment, that doesn't mean I agree with them. I posted it because I found it a thought-provoking commentary on language and race in America, not because I'm "considering calling black people 'negroes.'"

Jason (the commenter) said...

Consider a dictionary.

John Althouse Cohen said...

"He was considering [doing something]," is generally understood to mean, "He was seriously considering whether he should [do it]." It implies someone who's approaching an actual intention to do something. I realize you might have been saying this jocosely, but I'm using my full name and photo on here, and I have to protect my reputation. When the topic is racial language and a comment like that is made about me, I'm going to err on the side of clarity.

Ann Althouse said...

I've heard professors complain about the use of the term "real life" to describe life outside of the classroom, practicing law and so forth. We like to think we are really living even though we are teachers.

(That oddly named commenter is spam, btw.)

Ann Althouse said...

(Don't click on the name. It doesn't go to a profile, but to a commercial page. That his comment seems charming is pretty much an accident. Ironically, he isn't a real person.)

John Althouse Cohen said...

Thanks. I deleted it.

Jason (the commenter) said...

When "What does it mean to be a human?" falls under the heading of computer science, you have to wonder what's left for "philosophy" to deal with.