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Oh no, he didn't know how to spell Emancipation

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013.

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  1. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    Is it a small gaffe? How much do we "forgive" errors? Do we have anyone or anything that holds the line and one expects 100% performance all of the time?

    I don't expect anything less than 100% from engineers, doctors, accountants, and lawyers. Laziness and poor performance standards are not acceptable to me.

    I don't think that Alex should have coddled him anymore than he did with any other adult contestants.
     
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #1
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  2. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    It depends on the context. This is a game show... *shudders* ...and so there are rules. If Jeopardy! has a rule about spelling errors in its final round, then Trebek was right to disqualify the answer. At the same time, I think perhaps the judges could have ruled the other way, as the misspelling could have been deemed a small error (like a typo), considering that T obviously doesn't go there. (I think it's obvious even to an eighth grader.) The error could be chalked up to being under pressure.

    This is a completely different context. Even so, errors are going to be made. Much of that is because of the nature of the world's complexities, and it isn't only because of laziness or poor performance. These latter things are different issues. Top engineers, doctors, accountants, and lawyers can make errors. It's how they take responsibility and come up with fixes that matter.

    You're misusing the word coddled. It would rather have been a case of Trebek and/or the judges being flexible or forgiving, which is very different. The answer wasn't wrong. It just had an aberrant T.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #2
  3. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    I am not misusing the word coddled. The original article I found had an additional quote which is why I chose it.


    Alex Trebek Brings 'Jeopardy' Kid Week Loser to Edge of Tears


    Alex has done the same for every contestant that I have watched over the past 20 years.
     
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #3
  4. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I already spoke to the idea that there are rules and Trebek and the judges were following them.

    Coddled is still the wrong word. To coddle him, Trebek would have to do something more extreme, like help the kid with hints if he didn't know who Lincoln was or what was going on in the 1860s.

    Saying it would be coddling is as extreme (if not more so) as people saying Trebek cheated him out of the answer. He didn't. He simply ruled based on regulations.

    And I can't say whether Trebek was being smug or an asshole about it, but not being smug or an asshole to someone isn't a definition of coddling them.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #4
  5. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    No, but the parents to me wanted him to be coddled.
    --- merged: Aug 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM ---

    View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSvl7uKysaE


    I don't even how the parents get smug.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 18, 2013
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #5
  6. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    The parents just wished Trebek gave the kid break. The kid demonstrated that he knew the answer.

    It was a fucking T. A damn T doesn't destroy the document in question by erasing it from world history.

    I would rather save our concerns about people being coddled for situations where it's actually a problem.
    --- merged: Aug 11, 2013 at 3:42 PM ---
    So he wasn't smug. I still don't think coddling is an issue.

    Spend some time in the education system when it comes to parents. Then you'll see coddling as a problem. Right up to post-secondary education. (Seriously.)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 18, 2013
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #6
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  7. arkana

    arkana Very Tilted

    Location:
    canada
    Is this thread about the proper use of the word "coddled"?
     
    arkana, Aug 11, 2013
    #7
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  8. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    I couldn't find a borat translator to say, 'My wife needs emancipation proclamation," but the Ali G one gave back, "my bitch needs emancitapion proclatamion"

    Ali G Translator
     
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #8
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  9. Shadowex3

    Shadowex3 Very Tilted

    The answer wasn't incorrect, it was a typo. It's the written equivalent of someone slightly mispronouncing a word, if Trebek wants to play this off as following the rules then nobody with an accent or lisp will ever get any question correct again.
     
    Shadowex3, Aug 11, 2013
    #9
  10. Fremen

    Fremen Allright, who stole my mustache?

    Location:
    E. Texas
    I watched that episode and thought they should have given it to the kid.

    I could've sworn they've been lenient over spelling in the past. (regular shows) I'm probably wrong, though.

    Either way, after reading that the kid complained to the press, I'm glad he lost. Maybe it will teach him to be more careful.

    Skyler Hornback wasn't beatable at the end, anyway.
    When they announced the category was The Civil War (Abraham Lincoln being his most favortist subject evar!), I knew he would either make the biggest blunder of his life, or win it big.
     
    Fremen, Aug 11, 2013
    #10
  11. Shadowex3

    Shadowex3 Very Tilted

    I never understood that kind of logic. "I was completely on the kid's side until I found out that he's actually standing up for himself and now I'm glad the little shit got what was coming to him". It smacks of feudalism, how dare the little peasant actually try to do something about an unfair situation instead of accepting what his lords and betters give him even though I myself agreed with him not thirty seconds ago...
     
    Shadowex3, Aug 11, 2013
    #11
  12. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    smacks of Feudalism? WTF does that mean?

    Do something about unfair? Judges get to judge. That's what they do.

    What about MORE information to make a different decision?

    Is a typo acceptable when it comes to math?
     
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #12
  13. Shadowex3

    Shadowex3 Very Tilted

    That's a false equivalency, 3+5 vs 4+5 is a substantive difference. A real comparison is writing out "three plus five" vs "trhee plus five".
     
    Shadowex3, Aug 11, 2013
    #13
  14. ALISTAIR

    Alistair Eurotrash

    Location:
    Reading, UK
    Fuck him. That will teach him that spelling and grammar matters.

    Yes, I'm a curmudgeon. What of it?
     
    Alistair, Aug 11, 2013
    #14
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  15. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Will you participate in it if I tell you?
     
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #15
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  16. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    No more false than "smacks of Fuedalism"
    --- merged: Aug 11, 2013 at 5:51 PM ---
    3.1+4 = 35 and 31+4=35 is equal then to your "typo"
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 18, 2013
    cynthetiq, Aug 11, 2013
    #16
  17. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    It really isn't a good comparison. Also remember that trivia shows are trivial.

    EDIT:

    Think of it this way: Does "the Emanciptation Proclamation" refer to something other than the Emancipation Proclamation?

    It'd be different, and more like the math comparisons, if his answer was "Enunciation Proclamation" or "Emancipation Procuration."

    It's more about whether the real value of something has changed.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #17
  18. Fremen

    Fremen Allright, who stole my mustache?

    Location:
    E. Texas
    I don't know about all of that, but my thinking was that too many kids these days are given trophies, awards and passes just for participating in activities, and maybe, just maybe, if he learned from his mistake, he'll be a better person for it.
    Of course, who's to say whining to the press will be detrimental to his development.
    You may be right. Standing up for himself may have given him the boost he needs to go on to become a doctor. I wonder if he'll need to know how to spell then? We know he won't need to worry about his handwriting.
     
    Fremen, Aug 11, 2013
    #18
  19. grumpyolddude

    grumpyolddude Very Tilted

    Location:
    Metro Detroit, Michigan, USA
    Like Fremen, I seem to recall the show forgiving misspelled words, but I can't cite examples. I can also recall final round responses scribbled so horribly that the contestant had to speak it for comprehension. Who knows if those were spelled right?

    These were supposed to be super bright youngsters. They should be expected to spell. If they were all being judge by the same criteria, there's no reason to bitch.
     
    grumpyolddude, Aug 11, 2013
    #19
  20. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    What do you guys think of this?

    'I Was Cheated': Kids Jeopardy! Contestant Loses with Spelling Error
     
    Baraka_Guru, Aug 11, 2013
    #20
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