here is a bit of weirdness

[miriam_e]

The title Mrs, referring to a married woman, is pronounced as mis' iz, but that is just a traditional slurring of the word mistress which is what Mrs is really an abbreviation for. But the title Miss, meaning an unmarried woman, is also an abbreviation for mistress. It gets even stranger though: many women now prefer to use the title Ms which leaves undisclosed whether the person is married or not. Oddly, it too is an abbreviation for mistress.

The craziness of gender politics. :)

Comments

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

:)
Interesting you say that about the prevailing mood. If you are talking about big media, I agree with you. If you are talking about the general population I don't. Books sales are up and scientific literacy among ordinary folk is at an all-time high (granted this is more noticeable in Europe and Australia, as USA has lagged badly in this respect in recent decades). People are more moral, more knowledgeable, less violent, and more sensible than ever before... it is just that (mostly US-based) big media portray us as the exact reverse of that. One has to wonder why.

Are the cocaine-and-whisky-addled media executives really that stupid? I believe so; I think they are too brain-damaged and paranoid to collude in conspiracy. Just look at how the recording industry ignores enormous potential mp3 profits in favor of victimising their best customers. Not the actions of a very smart or rational bunch.