braak commented on Science Versus Magic -- Is There a Difference in the World of Fiction?

"@Ed Grabianowski: By China's definition--which I think is the best one--science: authoritative adopting of scientific language. I would point out with regards to his definition--in real life, there actually isn't loads of difference between science and magic; there's really just one big difference."

braak commented on First Pics Of Battlestar Galactica's Cool Prequel Caprica

""...design the most flea-ridden dog..."? What?"

braak commented on SF To Dominate This Fall's New Hit Shows

"It wasn't unreasonable to think that Bionic Woman was going to become a hit show--you know, if you hadn't seen it at all. I don't really envision any of these shows doing well."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@aspiringexpatriate: Well, you know, I never mean to be."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@aspiringexpatriate: I've sounded like a pompous ass since I was about five."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@CreoleSugar: 77% accurate stereotypes, apparently. You can say it's prejudice and stereotypes and that it's bullshit and it's insulting if you like--those would all be valid assessments."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@CreoleSugar: Ask the people in the study, who were able to accurately identify the race of black speakers 77% of the time. Who knows how they could do a thing like that, if there are no commonalities of speech pattern."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@gecko: Well, she had Roma ancestry, but wasn't living immersed in the culture, I don't think. It may have been a kind of over-defensiveness about her heritage."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: Uhm."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@gecko: I actually know people that still flip the fuck out about that one."

braak commented on From the Mailbag

"@octopusink: For real."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: Oh, look, she said it first."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@effeteaesthete: Well, okay, agreed, prejudice based on things like accent is pretty shitty. So, the two reasons that people don't lose their accents are a) because they can't, or b) because they don't want to."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"Also, I was just talking to my mom about people in Philadelphia say "all the sudden," instead of "all of a sudden," and it makes me want to choke someone."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@funnyface: Of course, Pepsi is foul, but you've got to be able to let people know that you don't want it. I mean, imagine if you were talking to someone like you, and they offered you a "coke," but it was really a Pepsi, only you didn't know because they called everything "coke.""

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@ronaldpagan: Hm."

braak commented on Want To Make More Money? Don't "Sound Black." Or Southern!

"@andheartss: Okay, but look: a person has an accent because of where they were from and hwo they were raised."

braak commented on Repo's Angsty Teen Goth Rocks In Her Room, Parents Don't Understand

"@TinyMontgomery: You're talking about two different things."