genuinegirly

Princeton's definition of decency: When a wife is faced with her husband's arrest, she makes a statement that they are decent people. Reading this article made me wonder about people's definition of decency. It seems like such a common word - yet I would not have thought to use it in the context that this woman chooses.
So I wonder...
What does decency mean to you?
How do you use the word decent?

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I use decent with the following phrases:

"I'm decent at spelling."
"I'm a decent vocalist."
When I say something like these I mean, "I can hack it if you need me to do something with these skills, but if you look around you will find someone more qualified."

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Glory's Sun

decent means a little bit good.. a little bit bad.

this is why people don't use decent when referring to me very often..

cuz I'm FUCKING AWESOME.

Zeraph

OP: Same thing here really. It means not bad but not great. Decent equallying respectable is an older usage I mostly see in older books.

LordEden

I think it is all about context. When I hear the word decent (in the context of the above quote), I hear "I am about to state the correct opinion." Most people who use the word in that context, you could take it out and replace it with American and it would mean the same thing. I am right.

"I'm a decent person." = "I am right, you are not."

Same thing with God-fearing citizen. Tax paying citizen. All the same context.

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guccilvr has it right. Half bad, half good.

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I use the word decent about myself because I can't see past my own character flaws.

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Vice-President of the CinnamonGirl Fan Club - The Meat of the Zombiesquirrel and CinnamonGirl Sandwich

Punk.of.Ages

I only use the word decent when I'm stating something as on the borderline of good and bad, no matter the context.
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On a side note, it's one word I tend to trendily abbreviate. It annoys me...

Them:"Did you like that band?"

Me:"They were dece..."

Them:"Did you just say dece?!"

Me:"Fuck you."

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"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..." - Henry Steel Commager

"Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

CinnamonGirl

When someone says they're "decent people," I take it to mean "good people." There's a country song that I kinda like (well, I like the idea of it, not so much the actual song) about how good people will be there for you when you're drunk, or sick, or down on your luck, but aren't necessarily what society sees as "good." I tend to follow that line of thought.

As for "decent," I use that completely differently. I don't think I've ever used it to describe a person. Maybe a book, or a movie, or a show. If it was decent, it was all right-- not spectacular, but pretty good.

My parents use "decent" as in "clothed," or "able to appear in public." Example: Mom knocks on the bedroom door and asks if I'm decent. If I'm not naked, I say yes. If I'm going out and she thinks I'm "indecent," it probably has something to do with a short skirt and fishnets.

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"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Glory's Sun

all I know is more women should be decent enough to wear fishnets

Bear Cub

The antonym of Bear Cub.

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Living in the United Socialist States of America.

snowy

I love the Oxford English Dictionary:

I bolded the two definitions of "decent" discussed in this thread. Clearly, it has a lot of different meanings depending on the context, and what it means to me depends on that context.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Baraka_Guru

I resort to the colloquial meaning: not bad, but not great.

"What did you think of the movie?"
"It was decent.... you know.... I liked it...." *subtle shrug, slight head nod*

"How was the salmon mousse?"
"It was decent.... you know.... I enjoyed it...." *subtle shrug, slight head nod*

"Well, what do you think of him?"
"He's decent.... you know.... he's all right." *subtle shrug, slight head nod*

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot