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Author: Chuck RiggsChuck Riggs Date: Sep 5, 2008 19:57
Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
years:
"This is an iconic moment."
Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
--
Regards,
Chuck Riggs
Near Dublin, Ireland
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Author: tinwhistlertinwhistler Date: Sep 5, 2008 20:06
On Sep 5, 10:57 am, Chuck Riggs eircom.net> wrote:> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
> years:
>
> "This is an iconic moment."
>
> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
>
> --
>
> Regards,
>
> Chuck Riggs
> Near Dublin, Ireland
I don't think so. Here's something fairly close in the recent news:
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Author: Jerry FriedmanJerry Friedman Date: Sep 5, 2008 20:07
On Sep 5, 11:57 am, Chuck Riggs eircom.net> wrote:> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
> years:
>
> "This is an iconic moment."
>
> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
No, like 5,271,009 other recent uses of "iconic", it was not
appropriate. In my opinion. We don't need to replace "significant"
with something that supposedly sounds more impressive.
--
Jerry Friedman
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Author: Evan KirshenbaumEvan Kirshenbaum Date: Sep 5, 2008 20:45
Jerry Friedman totally-official.com> writes:
> On Sep 5, 11:57 am, Chuck Riggs eircom.net> wrote:>> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
>> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
>> years:
>>
>> "This is an iconic moment."
>>
>> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
>
> No, like 5,271,009 other recent uses of "iconic", it was not
> appropriate. In my opinion. We don't need to replace "significant"
> with something that supposedly sounds more impressive.
I suspect that the notion was something like "this image of ice-free
water by the pole will serve as a lasting icon of global warming". A
bit presumptuous, perhaps, but not necessarily the wrong word. An
"iconic moment" would be something repeatedly shown for a long time as
a shorthand for something. And this could be, but probably won't.
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Author: Purl GurlPurl Gurl Date: Sep 5, 2008 20:49
Chuck Riggs wrote:
> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
> years:
> "This is an iconic moment."
> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
Yes. This melting of polar ice is an icon of global warming,
an icon of many. This plight of polar bears is of international
attention and is a threat of polar bear extinction.
This is iconic; melting ice, polar bears, serve as an icon.
--
Purl Gurl
--
So many are stumped by what slips right off the top of my mind
like a man's bad fitting hairpiece.
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Author: jerry_friedmanjerry_friedman Date: Sep 5, 2008 22:39
On Sep 5, 12:45 pm, Evan Kirshenbaum hpl.hp.com> wrote:> Jerry Friedman totally-official.com> writes:>> On Sep 5, 11:57 am, Chuck Riggs eircom.net> wrote:>>> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
>>> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
>>> years:
>
>>> "This is an iconic moment."
>
>>> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
>
>> No, like 5,271,009 other recent uses of "iconic", it was not
>> appropriate. In my opinion. We don't need to replace "significant"
>> with something that supposedly sounds more impressive.
>
> I suspect that the notion was something like "this image of ice-free
> water by the pole will serve as a lasting icon of global warming". A
> bit presumptuous, perhaps, but not necessarily the wrong word. An
> "iconic moment" would be something repeatedly shown for a long time as
> a shorthand for something. And this could be, but probably won't. ...
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Author: Richard ChambersRichard Chambers Date: Sep 6, 2008 00:23
"Chuck Riggs" eircom.net> wrote
> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of water
> near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands of
> years:
>
> "This is an iconic moment."
>
> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
No, strictly speaking. But excusable, because the reporter's intention was
evidently a headline pun, and a fairly good one too:-
ice versus iconic.
I am surprised that everybody who has posted so far seems to have missed
this point.
Richard Chambers Leeds UK.
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Author: Garrett WollmanGarrett Wollman Date: Sep 6, 2008 00:27
In article ,
Richard Chambers ntlworld.net> wrote:
>No, strictly speaking. But excusable, because the reporter's intention was
>evidently a headline pun, and a fairly good one too:-
> ice versus iconic.
I see no pun here.
-GAWollman
--
Garrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are
wollman@ csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry
Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape
of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness
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Author: Richard YatesRichard Yates Date: Sep 6, 2008 00:28
Richard Chambers wrote:
> "Chuck Riggs" eircom.net> wrote
>>> Just heard on ITV News from a reporter on an ice-free section of
>> water near the North Pole that hasn't been free of ice for thousands
>> of years:
>>
>> "This is an iconic moment."
>>
>> Was his use of "iconic" appropriate?
>
> No, strictly speaking. But excusable, because the reporter's
> intention was evidently a headline pun, and a fairly good one too:-
> ice versus iconic.
> I am surprised that everybody who has posted so far seems to have
> missed this point.
>
> Richard Chambers Leeds UK.
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