Random Comments

[sfmpco]

Found an interesting article that makes an excellent case for Sherlock not really being a sociopath.

 

http://io9.com/5933869/stop-calling-sherlock-a-sociopath-thanks-a-psychologist

[Arcadia]

Yeah, I'd just as soon they stop using that term. It was funny a couple of times but it's outworn it's welcome. As have mad, insane, psychopath and all the other insults to people with psychiatric disorders.

[sfmpco]

Yeah, I'd just as soon they stop using that term. It was funny a couple of times but it's outworn it's welcome. As have mad, insane, psychopath and all the other insults to people with psychiatric disorders.

 

Especially when you compare him to Moriarty who is certifiable.  Makes Sherlock look positively normal...almost.  

[Arcadia]

Sorry, Artemis, had to move your comment over to the TFP thread ... spoiler.

[Artemis]

Whoops, apologies.  I didn't want to interrupt the conversations going on in the other threads.  Is there a spoiler deadline?

 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I think last time it was about March. Don't worry, we'll let you know!

[Carol the Dabbler]

According to this site's analysis of IMDb ratings, Sherlock is currently the most popular British show in the UK.  (The article lists each country's favorite homegrown show, not just the UK's.)

[besleybean]

Some of us have taste and recognise quality!

[Caya]

Dunno ... Austria's favorite show according to this is something called Braunschlag that I've never even heard of. Ratings on IMDB != popularity, I think.

[besleybean]

Just noticed your location...

lucky you, beautiful city.

[Caya]

Thanks. It's a beautiful place, even out here in the suburbs (and there's always the subway to get to the centre).

[besleybean]

We were lucky when we stayed there.

We were supposed to be in a little flat.

The guy hadn't realised we were a family and upgraded us to a bigger, smarter apartment.

[Arcadia]

I think the only other ones I've heard of are Breaking Bad (US), which I've never seen, and Death Note (Japan), which I have. It was interesting but I maintain Full Metal Alchemist was better than any of them.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

It seems odd to me that some of the shows from non-English-speaking countries have English titles, just transliterated for local pronunciation.  I don't know what the Japanese one is about, but the South Korean one doesn't even seem to be about an English-speaking character, so I'm puzzled.  I have heard, though, that English is considered a "fancy" language in Japan, something like French is here, which may have something to do with it.

[Artemis]

5 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I maintain Full Metal Alchemist was better than any of them.  

Undeniably.

 

[Artemis]

2 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I have heard, though, that English is considered a "fancy" language in Japan, something like French is here, which may have something to do with it.

I don't think it's that it's "fancy" so much as Japan is sort of infatuated with the Western world.  Our culture, language, and appearance are romanticized over there.  I had a friend once who was an exchange student from Japan, and he said that English over there elicits sort of the same feeling that some Americans get from hearing a British accent.  It's not "fancy", exactly; it's more like... "desirable"...?

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Artemis said:

I had a friend once who was an exchange student from Japan, and he said that English over there elicits sort of the same feeling that some Americans get from hearing a British accent.  It's not "fancy", exactly; it's more like... "desirable"...?

How about "better than the local equivalent simply because it's from far away"?  The same mystique is sometimes applied to cheese, wine, and automobiles.

[Artemis]

1 minute ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

How about "better than the local equivalent simply because it's from far away"?  The same mystique is sometimes applied to cheese, wine, and automobiles.

"Exotic"?

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yeah, that's about right, I think.  Of course I'm not Japanese, but it's kinda the impression I get of their view of English.  Hikari can probably shed some additional light on the matter.

A friend who was out of the country when Alex and I got married brought us a belated wedding present from Japan.  The gift-wrap said "Birthday," so I asked him if perhaps the clerk had misunderstood the occasion.  He said no, "Birthday" was the name of the store.  Like I said, pretty much how Americans use French, for effect rather than for the literal meaning (which many patrons may not even understand).

[Arcadia]

I don't know if it's still the trend, but for awhile there it seemed like all the Japanese teenagers wore t-shirts with random English words on them, or even just random English letters.

For what it's worth, the characters in Full Metal aren't Japanese (it's an alternate universe, but they seem basically European) so that may contribute to the presence of English titles; just trying to show it's not-Japanese. But I suspect all your other theories are equally true.

[Carol the Dabbler]

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

for awhile there it seemed like all the Japanese teenagers wore t-shirts with random English words on them, or even just random English letters.

My best guess is that they're not intended to be random, but either the manufacturer doesn't know much English or their customers don't either.  (Though it's my understanding that a lot of Japanese high-school students study English.)  I seem to recall that Dave Barry (in his book Dave Barry Does Japan) quotes some that appear to be actual sentences in search of a meaning (though I can't seem to find the right chapter just now).  But I should talk -- I used to have an Asian-style straw hat with some Chinese words on it, and for all I know, it said "Ignorant Round-Eye."

[Arcadia]

I have a stone plaque from Korea (inherited from my parents) which hangs on the outside of the house. I tell people it means "welcome", but … yeah.  

[Caya]

At least those are all removable. A fellow student at college once wore a low-cut shirt and I could see she had a Latin tattoo. Curious, I started reading, and she noticed and told me apologetically, "Sorry, I don't understand Latin." I assured her that I did and explained what it meant (was something about daring to do stuff, iirc) but it was certainly, er, let's call it brave to let herself get inked in an unknown language. Especially since Latin may sound all classical and fancy, but it definitely has plenty of vocabulary I would not want on *my* skin. If the tattooist had had a mean streak, she could have ended up with something like Catullus 16  (and yes, Latin has both active and passive vocab for every orifice, that language is nothing if not precise ).

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Caya said:

A fellow student at college once wore a low-cut shirt and I could see she had a Latin tattoo. Curious, I started reading, and she noticed and told me apologetically, "Sorry, I don't understand Latin."

That is so bizarre.  Did she happen to say anything about why she got that particular tattoo?

 

[besleybean]

Not a fan of tattoos.