STI

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Social disease" was *obviously* a euphemism, which means it just wouldn't
do in the realistic twentieth century. It was also a problem
because "social" might encourage people to believe they could contract
something horrible from society at large, which includes toilet seats.

(The OED exx. are diachronically not very useful, because they're mixed in
with metaphorical "social diseases," like crime.)

"VD" (OED 1920) was the no-nonsense term.  I may have posted this antedating
years ago, but I can't find it in the archives. The context is
epidemiological:

1918* *in George Walker _Venereal Disease in the American Expeditionary
Forces_ (Baltimore: Medical Standard Book Co., 1922) 188: The list (b) above
is tabulated as follows: Expressed intention not to be exposed in Paris, for
following reasons: I. Feared v.d.: Won't take chance without taking
prophylaxis and won't take prophylaxis because it is painful or too much
trouble: Don't believe prophylaxis is effective and don't want v.d
....15. *Ibid.
*190: [O]ne private severely criticized one of his own officers for giving
them a lecture on prostitution and v.d. and then being "half-stewed and
loving up" a prostitute in a Paris cafe.

OED has "STD" from 1974, but ISTR that it became a common colloquialism no
earlier than the widespread appearance of genital herpes, ca1977.

Between herpes, Legionnaire's disease, and Jimmy Carter, mankind seemed, to
many, doomed.

JL


On Sat, May 14, 2011 at 8:43 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: STI
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 7:00 AM -0400 5/14/11, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >My understanding was that "VD" had to go because it sounded like something
> >bad. I mean morally bad. If you had "VD" you were loathsome. (And
> remember,
> >God knows what "venereal" means, unless you're a radical Whorfian and
> deduce
> >the whole phrase is a slur on  sex, love, and Venus.)
> >
> >But with an "STD" you're not loathsome. You're just unlucky, and you
> >maintain that great self-esteem!  People respect you.
> >
> >And with an "STI," you're already almost well!
> >
>
> Speaking of which, can anyone confirm that it was Steven Pinker (in
> his 1994 book _The Language Instinct_ and other publications tracing
> back to that year) who coined the useful "euphemism treadmill"?  The
> concept has been around much longer, as he (and various web sites)
> confirm, but in general he's credited for the actual term.
>
> Before Doug Wilson's post I'd forgotten "social disease", which I
> associate with "Dear Officer Krupke" from WSS (Sondheim/Bernstein).
>
> LH
>
> >
> >
> >On Sat, May 14, 2011 at 12:57 AM, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>  -----------------------
> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> >>  Subject:      Re: STI
> >>
> >>
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>  Kids these days!
> >>
> >>  The appropriate term is "social disease", isn't it?
> >>
> >>  -- Doug Wilson
> >>
> >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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