RetroFed
Virginia court declines to block Democrats from using new voter-approved congressional map - Democracy Docket
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slothrop
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I would like to see less double-negatives in headlines.
I don’t disagree with you
🧐
Yes, but needed in this case. “Declines to block” is very different from “approves” even if the end result is the same.
Yea, this is short form for “declines Republican’s bid to block”, so technically it might not even be a double negative.
My complaint was about the wording in the HEADLINE. It lacks Feng shui.
Anyone can read the “properly written” story…inside.
OH, damn, I came in here all angry haha
“Declines to block” is not a double-negative though.
Well, let me check. Here it is. It IS in MY book.
Yes, I was suggesting that you, your book, or whatever, is mistaken. It’s not a double-negative. It’s just two words with negative word charges. They do not contradict one another’s meaning in the binary relationship of true and false.
No truer words weren’t never spoken.
I understand the English council has made a decision. But given that it’s a stupid ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it.
You are correct, but it reads double negative to me, lol
It’s even more fun when you get appeals involved.
How would you word this different and have the same meaning?
Using “approves” is close but it changes the meaning of the headline and implies that their approval of this is needed when it is not.
“allows”
That means something different. Like I said, that implies that we need the courts permission which is not the case.
I can tell you are not going to let this go, but it will help you in life to understand when you are wrong and be ok admitting that to yourself.
Wow no need to be an asshole. Whatever, guess I forgot nothing a court ruled has ever had weight my bad
“Local man allows wife to eat dinner.”
vs
“Local man declines to block wife from eating dinner.”
The meaning is very different.
Yeah, when you change the context of the sentence, the meaning changes too. “A court allows” and “a man allows” aren’t the same thing.
The court had an issue brought before it. It could either allow or disallow the usage of the maps. There isn’t an in-between. Making a big deal over using “allow” for a court is so mind-numbingly, insufferably pedantic that I can’t believe real people are actually up voting it.
“Approves” I can see a problem with because it implies that the court has made a final ruling. But being mad about it because of some moralizing nonsense is absolutely ridiculous.
yeah i’m reading the same edition as you. i even got mine signed by the reverend dr. pedant
Fewer
This bothers me as well. Fewer is for quantities. Less is for unquantifiable things. E.g. I need less water and fewer sprinklers for my garden.
edit: expanding on this, you can always think about it like, I don’t have five waters (unless you’re in a restaurant?), but I can have five sprinklers.
The easiest way is to ask yourself if it can be counted. Water can’t be counted, but bottles of water can, as can sprinklers, to your point. “Can I count it?” Just makes it more simple to approach.
I told you not to call me that in public.