myötähäpeä
(n.) Finnish; that secondhand embarrassment you feel when someone is making a fool of themselves, vicarious shame, or shame by proxy. From myötä- (“co-”) + häpeä (“shame”).
For some with deep empathy, their myötähäpeä is so acute as to hide under the covers during movies or television scenes when a character is being ridiculous, or to avoid parties where certain relatives are bound to make an embarrassing entrance.
If you’ve never felt it, you probably haven’t had kids yet …
Photo by Tony Alter via Wikimedia Commons.
whataboutery
(wat-uh-BAUT-uhr-ee)
(n.) The practice of responding to an accusation by making a counter-accusation, real or imaginary, relevant or irrelevant. Protesting at hypocrisy; responding to criticism by accusing one’s opponent of similar or worse faults. Protesting at inconsistency; refusing to act in one instance unless similar action is taken in other similar instances.
Sound familiar?
Image, W. Esser, Bodleian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons. Translation: “Now I have to go to Elba with my cock, calmly.”
etymology:
Earliest documented use: 1974. Originally used in describing political discourse during the Northern Ireland troubles, it has also found use in discussions of the origins of other prolonged sectarian conflicts, such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was widely employed by then USSR as a propaganda technique and is now often a favorite of our current president. It is also known as whataboutism. “Turbo-charged online whataboutery is destroying proper debate.” – Helen Lewis, Nov 26, 2015
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992)
In the Dec/Jan issue of MaryJanesFarm, “I’ll Be Home,” I led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win a FREE one-month, premium Seamwork membership (Seamwork.com). Seamwork is all about designing and creating your own wardrobe, piece by piece, with approachable patterns that match both your style and your schedule.
The winner of my “Seamwork, I’ll Be Home” giveaway is …
Carol, who left this comment in response to “Tell me about one of your favorite sewing projects.”
“I was the girl in high school who made many of my own clothes. Now I’m a quilter and a thrifty clothes shopper. BUT, I think I should revert to my earlier self. At my age (59, no really, I am 59), I am finding it harder and harder to find clothes that are ME. I would love to give this a try. My favorite project was all the clothes I made for my trousseau in 1980.”
Congratulations, Carol! Watch for an e-mail from the farm. Thank you, everyone, for your lovely comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
