Irony and Language

[forsyth]

Man. I can't even keep track any more. Is saying "The Internets" still ironically making fun of Bush saying it in the debates, or has it become so common it's transcended irony and reached the level of Internet slang, like lol and rofl and such?

Comments

[dirkdada.livejournal.com]

bush said that?

I thought it was just Jeffery Rowland. :)

I don't know, tho. "The Internets" seems more right these days than one big "Internet". Perhaps it's another sign of our shattering society. We can't even think of the Internet as one big thing that everybody shares anymore. We've each gotta have our own.

wow, that was a bit cynical, wasn't it. :)

[dezro.livejournal.com]

"The internets" is actually correct usage, believe it or not.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Only if you're talking about several individual TCP/IP networks rather than the Internet itself.

[xeonaphobe.livejournal.com]

This is true. There is an Internet2 so techically it is correct to say "internets". Lets not kid ourselves into thinking that George Bush knew this though.

[rhanlav.livejournal.com]

The only Internets I know of are in the computer, and its FULL OF INTERNETS! http://www.deadmonkeycomics.com/gallery/album10/email_final

--Salen

[evilcarp.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna call it the interlink now.

[peterchayward.livejournal.com]

I never heard of the Bush thing, so I guess it's just common usage now.