pejoration of "stuff?"

[Charles Doyle]

I was explicitly taught (being brought up RIGHT) that it's very rude to refer to FOOD (or food-like substances) as "stuff"--as in "What is this stuff you've put on my plate, Mother?"

--Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 19:19:14 -0700
>From: Douglas Kenter <dwkenter at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject: pejoration of "stuff?"
>
>My friend Rowyn McDonald and I were sitting in a cafe yesterday when we saw the a bag of Kettle Chips (potato chips) that said "No Stuff" on the package, clearly meant as an advertisement.  Sure enough, when we looked at the back, there was a little bit of explanation, something to the effect of "No Stuff: No Trans Fats, No Artificial Flavors, Etc."
>
>If this pejoration is actually happening, it adds yet another layer to the already-meaning-rich "stuff."
>
>Doug Kenter

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