Why is it that ...?

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

In the interest of international understanding I thought it would be fun to ask questions about different cultures.

I'll begin by asking -:

Why do Americans, mostly in a police procedural context, talk about an 'individual' rather than a person? All those extra syllables ... 

Is it normal for Americans to clap themselves when they are introduced on stage? I've seen it done in various instances (I think maybe a guest on Oprah, but not sure). I haven't seen it done anywhere else.

[guest215]

One's "person" can also mean one's body in legal context. Perhaps "individual" is meant to denote the actual human and not the corresponding corporeal body?

[Post-Doctorate D]

Is it normal for Americans to clap themselves when they are introduced on stage? I've seen it done in various instances (I think maybe a guest on Oprah, but not sure). I haven't seen it done anywhere else.

This one confuses me too.

I remember back in grade school, I ran for class president or something.  Everyone gave their little speech then returned to their seat.  I think I was the third person to speak.  Maybe fourth.  I don't remember.  I wasn't the first.  I remember that for certain.  The first however many spoke, then joined the rest of the class clapping as they walked back to their seats.  So, after I gave my speech, I did the same, figuring that was what you do.  And as I'm walking back to my seat, I heard disapproving whispers of "He's clapping for himself."  And I'm thinking, what the heck, that's what the others did.

I didn't win.  Obviously.

[guest819]

Why is it (I discovered yesterday) that Americans say 'higher rank' when they mean 'lower'?

[guest215]

Why is it (I discovered yesterday) that Americans say 'higher rank' when they mean 'lower'?

My guess is that it's because "rank" is qualitative. High rank = good.

It gets confusing when rank is equivalent to numbers. Especially when the number is inverse to the rank. When you have a high (good) rank that inherently has a low number, things get muddled.


It's like asking someone to turn up the air conditioning. Do they mean to turn up the output of the air conditioning by setting the temperature lower, or do they mean turning up the temperature to make the house warmer?


Language. Hilarity abounds.

[She-la-te-da]

Why do Americans, mostly in a police procedural context, talk about an 'individual' rather than a person? All those extra syllables ...

I don't know why this is, but it's been around a long time.

Is it normal for Americans to clap themselves when they are introduced on stage?

Yes. I see it everywhere. I think it's not so much a "look at me" as a "let's acknowledge everybody" sort of thing.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

One that confused me, and many other non Americans, is the baseball "World Series" when the game is only played in the US. Then it was pointed out that it was named after their original sponsor, The World newspaper. (Is that correct?)

[Jeff Tanyard]

One that confused me, and many other non Americans, is the baseball "World Series" when the game is only played in the US.

There are also Canadian teams.

Then it was pointed out that it was named after their original sponsor, The World newspaper. (Is that correct?)

I have no idea.

[Post-Doctorate D]

One that confused me, and many other non Americans, is the baseball "World Series" when the game is only played in the US. Then it was pointed out that it was named after their original sponsor, The World newspaper. (Is that correct?)

World Series?  Wait a Minute . . .

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

One that confused me, and many other non Americans, is the baseball "World Series" when the game is only played in the US. Then it was pointed out that it was named after their original sponsor, The World newspaper. (Is that correct?)

World Series?  Wait a Minute . . .

Hmm, interesting, but a bit more complicated than naming it after a sponsor. 

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

[Edward M. Grant]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

20180911 is, of course, the correct way, because it's easily sortable .

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

20180911 is, of course, the correct way, because it's easily sortable .

If all countries/organisations could agree it would make life much easier  . I spent hours trying to download an income statement from a US website and was nearly tearing my hair out until I finally realised that the day and month were the 'wrong' way round 

[Robin]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

I have to agree with you, it can be so confusing!

[Joe Vasicek]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

4 Nov 2018 (D MMM YYYY) is my personal preference.

2018-11-04 (YYYY-MM-DD) is also a good standard.

[Al Stevens]

Why do Americans, mostly in a police procedural context, talk about an 'individual' rather than a person? All those extra syllables ... 

It's cop speak. They slip into that kind of lingo all the time. I think it comes from Joe Friday in the "Dragnet" TV series from the 1950s and later. Criminals don't commit crimes, they "perpetrate" them. Cars are "vehicles." People are "citizens."

A neighbor who was a county cop told me in a casual setting, "And then the individual was apprehended and booked for discharging a lethal weapon inside the city limits." I said, "You mean he shot a gun in town?" He answered, "That's what I said."

They have their own jargon, too. An arrest is a "collar." When you suspect someone of committing a crime, you "like" him. Crooks are "perps." You don't turn the flashing lights on, you "light it up." A street cop is a "uniform," a patrol car is a "black and white." And on and on.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Why do Americans, mostly in a police procedural context, talk about an 'individual' rather than a person? All those extra syllables ... 

It's cop speak. They slip into that kind of lingo all the time. I think it comes from Joe Friday in the "Dragnet" TV series from the 1950s and later. Criminals don't commit crimes, they "perpetrate" them. Cars are "vehicles." People are "citizens."

A neighbor who was a county cop told me in a casual setting, "And then the individual was apprehended and booked for discharging a lethal weapon inside the city limits." I said, "You mean he shot a gun in town?" He answered, "That's what I said."

They have their own jargon, too. An arrest is a "collar." When you suspect someone of committing a crime, you "like" him. Crooks are "perps." You don't turn the flashing lights on, you "light it up." A street cop is a "uniform," a patrol car is a "black and white." And on and on.

Thanks. Maybe that is the answer, but I also hear it from 'ordinary' folk who have perhaps unconsciously picked it up from watching police stories. I get the other lingo, which makes sense as it's a shortened version, but to lengthen a word from person to individual seems a bit counterproductive.   

[Post-Doctorate D]

I've mentioned this previously, but I do wish the world would get together to agree on how to write the date. 11/9/18 is the 11th September 2018  to many of us, but is November 9th 2018 to others. If we are setting dates for joint promos it can go horribly wrong unless the month is written in words 

20180911 is, of course, the correct way, because it's easily sortable .

4 Nov 2018 (D MMM YYYY) is my personal preference.

2018-11-04 (YYYY-MM-DD) is also a good standard.

My personal preference is the YYYYMMDD format, no dashes (saves space).  With a leading zero for single digit months and days, you don't need the dashes.

I also like to do YYYYMMDD-hhmmss.  True the dash isn't needed there either but it creates a readable break between date and time.  Also, that's using a 24-hour clock with 00 for midnight rather than 24.

[She-la-te-da]

This is an interesting link about the World Series thing:  http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/baseball/name.htm

As to the cop lingo, it's like us in the military, we have our way of saying things that may not make sense. It's done for clarity, and so everyone uses the same words. Sort of like the confusion with the date. In the USAF, we had a unique way of writing the date. January 1, 2019 would be 20190101. January 2nd would be 20190102, and so on. I'm not sure if they still do it this way, but once you learn it it's easy. And every year we got a calendar with the date listed, for quick reference.

Same thing with time. You could say it's one o'clock, but which one? To be clear, 0100 is one o'clock in the morning, and 1300 is the afternoon. Quick and no need to explain which is the right time to be somewhere. And you always had to be somewhere, on time and on the right date.

[She-la-te-da]

You know, the more I think about it, I think we did the days differently, using basically the same format. That's why we'd need a chart every year (or a calendar with the dates written USAF way). We did it more like last two of year, plus the number of the day. So, 19240, for the 240th day of 2019. My brain is not firing on all cylinders it seems, or I would have realized I didn't get that right. Gosh. Getting old ain't for sissies!

[Writer]

I think people say "individual" because it sounds smart and official, and people clap for themselves because...I got nothing. I'd be embarrassed to clap for myself, although it sounds like something I might do by accident if I wasn't paying attention. I'm pretty absent minded.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I have another question that has puzzled me. I've watched episodes of Extreme House Makeover and they always use wood to build the houses. I've only known houses to be built of bricks. I think you would have a problem getting insurance for a wooden house. Is wood inexpensive in the US?

[Jeff Tanyard]

I have another question that has puzzled me. I've watched episodes of Extreme House Makeover and they always use wood to build the houses. I've only known houses to be built of bricks. I think you would have a problem getting insurance for a wooden house. Is wood inexpensive in the US?

Yes, wood is cheap compared to brick and stone.  Trees are everywhere in the east and pacific northwest.  There's no problem getting insurance for a wood-frame house.

Fun fact: George Washington's home of Mount Vernon looks like it's made of stone.  It's not.  It's wood cut to look like stone and then painted with paint mixed with sand.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I have another question that has puzzled me. I've watched episodes of Extreme House Makeover and they always use wood to build the houses. I've only known houses to be built of bricks. I think you would have a problem getting insurance for a wooden house. Is wood inexpensive in the US?

Yes, wood is cheap compared to brick and stone.  Trees are everywhere in the east and pacific northwest.  There's no problem getting insurance for a wood-frame house.

Fun fact: George Washington's home of Mount Vernon looks like it's made of stone.  It's not.  It's wood cut to look like stone and then painted with paint mixed with sand.

Thanks for that. I've been watching the horrific fires in California and total destruction of whole communities, so wondered why they still use wood to build houses.

[Joe Vasicek]

It's not the wooden housing construction that's the problem, or even the location of the housing developments. It's a toxic combination of mismanaged forests, misguided and ideologically-driven environmental policies, and perverse budget incentives at the state and federal level. California has the worst of all three, and thus has all the worst fires.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Thanks for that. I've been watching the horrific fires in California and total destruction of whole communities, so wondered why they still use wood to build houses.

Those California wildfires are so big, move so fast, and get so hot that I doubt it matters what the houses are built out of.  If you get stranded in a wildfire, you're toast.





Here's what happened to a structure made out of steel and concrete: