RE: AIS: HIST: REF: Early Checklists

You will also be a witness to such "dumbing down" in many areas. There
are lists on which I am far more active in posting than on this list.
From time to time, I hear that my posts are too hard to understand,
though they are written in plain, good American English, and state
exactly what I mean so there can be no misunderstanding. This often
requires the use of polysyllabic words, and on the fish lists, the use
of scientific terms and names. Frankly, my opinion is that if one does
not care to learn the lingua franca of a topic, a hobby, or that people
use to communicate ideas, they probably do not belong where they are,
and should find something else to do, or another place to live.

With iris, it did not take me long to learn about standards and falls
when referring to bloom. Purple-based foliage is pretty self-evident. I
do get a bit lost in the descriptions of color, but that is probably
something most people have a hard time with. What is lavender to you may
be bluish pink to another, and light purple to a third.  And, what the
heck is wine? It is generally accepted to be a darkish maroon color, but
not necessarily so. If I took three different red wines and placed an
equal amount of each in three separate glasses, then stood them
together, I would probably see three different colors. So, as various
discussions here hae borne out over time, color is a problem for many,
and not something that would be easily overcome. We need to do the best
we can, and forge onward <g>.

This urge to make things simple, I think, probably comes from our
educational systems, where teachers are forced to teach to the lowest
common denominator, rather than stretching students to think and achieve
more than they would otherwise. (Well, that is what I hear from the
three teachers in my family, your mileage may vary.) 

One may very well question how they present materials in light of any
complaints that may come their way, and determine if they may present it
in a different manner so that others may understand better, but to use
more less specific terms that are given special meaning in the context
in which they are used, should continue to be used, but perhaps,
explained a bit more should confusion be voiced (written) over these
terms, but the terms themselves should be used as they are meant to be.
It is just a part of the learning process.

If you have gotten this far, and unserstood what I am trying to say, see
your teacher, and get a gold star <g>.

\\Steve// 
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
ChatOWhitehall@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 9:05 AM
To: iris@hort.net
Subject: Re: [iris] AIS: HIST: REF: Early Checklists

In a message dated 8/2/2007 12:22:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time,  
jijones@usjoneses.com writes:

You know I was new to irises in 1992, and I don't remember having  any  
difficulty understanding what "standards" or "falls" were or  getting  
acclimated to any of the particular jargon used by the AIS  and  
irisarians, nor do I think is is or was elitist.
 


That is the way it was with me, too. I wonder what we are doing  or
saying 
that is reckoned to be so daunting?
 
A presumption appears to have gained favor in some AIS circles  that new

folks are alienated by rhetoric or concepts at any level  above the most
intuitive 
so that AIS' posture must be elemental in the  extreme to protect them,
and 
the society, from the effects of  their own timidity. 
 
I hope I am reading things wrong, because think this is a  really
unsound 
presumption. 
 
I don't think most people are that timid. I don't think people with
adequate 
self-esteem are intimidated by awareness of their own ignorance. I
think 
people join special interest societies in part to  remedy ignorance of a
subject 
about which they decide they want  to know more. 
 
They also join to hang with folks and have some fun. This does not mean
hang 
only with people just like they are. A person has to be prepared to
hang 
with all sorts of people who are interested in irises if that person
joins AIS. 
This could mean people who approach the subject from entirely  different

perspectives, and entirely different backgrounds, with entirely
different 
mindsets, and entirely different vocabularies, some of whom may  turn
out to be people 
with whom one would not hang were one not  interested in irises....too 
highbrow, too lowbrow, too fond of scolding other  folks, too
competative, boring, 
whatever.
 
Anyway, I think there is something vaguely condescending about the  
presumption. I won't say it is elitist, because I don't think it quite
rises to that 
level, but were I a new person, I might not welcome the  awareness that
someone 
assumed I required such obvious  coddling. 
 
Of course, the last and best word on all this sort of thing  was
provided by 
Eleanor Roosevelt, who observed,  "No one can made you  feel inferior
without 
your permission." 
 
Cordially,
 
Anner Whitehead
Richmond VA USA
 
 
 
 



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