Pride, as a word in common usage, is a mess of the constructive and the destructive

This is less about the "inappropriately named", and more about *smooshing* two distinct concepts into a single word. [In case you were wondering, Flickr has a lot of picture of "Gay Pride" instead of "Pride, the moral concept". That is cool, who am I to say that this fine fellow in the photo doesn't have much to be proud about ;-)

2009 Los Angeles Gay Pride

Pride, as the word is used in the United States (probably other places too, I really don't know), covers two concepts that are very much at odds (1) Holding yourself to a higher moral and ethical standard than you expect others to follow, and working to meet that standard (2) Preservation of a tender ego, with pettiness, oafishness, hypocrisy, rage-full violence, and self-indulgence Bleh! More duty under sense of pride, and less prideful thumb-sucking and insult-hurling. Bonus word:

Image via Wikipedia

Virtue, as a word, *smooshes* together these different states of being: (1) active duty under a sense of the right and the just (2) fear of getting caught in a transgression, out of pure cowardice and cravenness (3) laboring under pack-mule-like habitual action - having no mental capability to choose to commit a transgression, or even imagine one [Added after honest self-reflection... (4) being too creepy or ugly to attract a partner to commit a transgression. My whole undergraduate career at UCLA, I was completely unnoticed by the lady-folk. I was chaste, and not by choice.] There are too many people wearing the badge of virtue, who are too cowardly or stupid to act otherwise. But I guess, if the social world called everything with a skeptical and cynical eye, everyday life would be unbearable. It is just a shame that such important words lose their real meaning. There is no shame in being a tiny thing, trying to shoot for the moon. That is how I feel. I am sure my life is laughable, but why not aim high? Is there anything more contemptible than a tiny thing, aiming low? Better to be laughable than contemptible. Uh, as usual, I went overboard. Forget I said anything. My Baby-Love would point out to everyone how short I fall when it comes to living. And who am I to say my Baby-Love is wrong? [Back to work]