Thursday, October 23, 2008

Biased

So, I was sitting in my "Conflict and Media" seminar this week, listening , when the student presenting said something about "BS-ed" media. "BS media?!" I couldn't figure out what she might mean, until I looked on her handout and discovered she meant "BIASED media." Big difference there...bias versus BS. But, then, once I thought about it, I decided it was a clever accident...one might accurately say that "Biased" media is "BS."

In two classes this week, people around me snickered at the presenters' English (and not ironic/funny mistakes like "BS" either--just normal mistakes). In one class, there were two girls presenting and one had noticeably better English than the other. While her partner talked, she had the audacity to smirk and, under her breath, correct the speaker's pronunciation. What a way to treat your partner, huh!? I hate it when they do that to each other--maybe because I readily sympathize with people who struggle to say what they mean in a foreign language. The weird thing, of course, is that the people who laughed still make their share of mistakes and akward constructions too, and have distinct Swiss accents. You'd think they'd remember that.

But...that doesn't mean I'm above appreciating a cute swissism, and one I've heard several times in classes lately is the use of "since ever" to mean "forever" or "since the beginning." I think students are copying it from eachother. That tickles me for some reason, but I make every endeavor to not smile. :)

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