Minor peeve

[cjsmith]

Minor peeve: people who are not military, police, or firefighters using the word "civilians" to describe those-who-are-not-them in a self-serving, I'm-better way.

I'm fairly content when I see it used in a way that just sort of looks like the writer couldn't figure out how to say "outsider" because he'd forgotten there was a word "outsider". That's just somebody being a bit dorky, and God knows I have enough dorkiness myself. I forget words all the time.

The peeve for me is people who use it to puff themselves up somehow, like they're extra total macho cool because those OTHER people are CIVILIANS. To me, that kind of puffing up is valid for -- yet almost never bragged about by -- folks who put their lives on the line in some seriously shitty situations in order to serve or save or protect others. Don't try to fake that status with this ex-military gal. It no worky.

Comments

[platypus]

I see "muggles" has already been mentioned :). That's what geocachers call non-geocachers (and the need for an 'us and them' mentality is because it's generally best not to draw the attention of non-cachers when you're hunting).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I'd forgotten about the geocaching usage! I should go 'caching again some time. :)