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August 23, 2011
Reader Comments (38)
World's oldest tarp eh? Did you get it from the worlds oldest tarp salesman?
JAZZ HANDS SIGHTING! Exciting, but anticlimactic, too.
Actually, I'm not all that interested anyway.
Disinterested means "impartial". Uninterested is the word you are looking for.
Note from Scott ... and the dictionary:
dis·in·ter·est·ed Adjective/disˈintəˌrestid/
1. Not influenced by considerations of personal advantage.
2. Having or feeling no interest in something.
IT'S A TARP!
Aha! Scott schools the pedant! Ahh, Schadenfreude! Mostly because I'm a pedant also.
Scott,
I was excited to see you have a page-a-day calendar. Too bad the shipping to Canada is so high.
Any chance of more of your comics on iPad/iPod? I bought the first two long ago.
Thanks - Greg
Note from Scott: The calendar will be available more reasonably in Canada soon. Sorry for the delay.
Have you checked out my iPhone app? There are the two that GoComics made, which are collections of comics and the one I had input on, which updates with new comics. I also should point out, the site is accessible by the iPad, so all the comics are available that way.
Oooo, Dictionaried. Well played, Scott.
It says "having or feeling no interest in something" right in your post...
Which dictionary is that Scott? And what does it say regarding 'uninterested'?
Darnit, L33, you beat me to it!
But yeah, anticlimax for the lulz.
Is that Gandhi's gun under the world's oldest tarp!?
Sorry, Scott, Darren is right about "disinterested". Persistent misuse may have persuaded some dictionaries to recognise a minor secondary meaning of "uninterested", but it really isn't what the word means. "Uninterested" is correct here.
And I should know -- in my spare time, I am Officer Taylor of the Self-Appointed Grammar Police!
Note from Scott: You're probably right that from a pure "using the correct word" point of view, "uninterested" would have been a better choice ("apathetic" would have been even better). That said, I stand by my choice to use "disinterested" instead.
This may or may not make sense. When writing humor, how the sentence sounds is important, even if it will not be said out loud. You want the sentence to flow a certain way. Say both of these sentences out loud:
How to deal with an uninterested audience.
How to deal with a disinterested audience.
If you're like me, you had to literally slow down to get through "an uninterested." It's awkward. "an-un-in" vs. "a-dis-in". I chose "disinterested" instead. When faced with two words either of which will work, but one damages the joke (even slightly) I'll take the non damaging word, even if I'm having to resort to a secondary meaning.
Now, as to your point about some dictionaries, persistent misuse, and secondary meaning (note the Oxford comma), here's what Merriam-Webster says about "disinterested":
"1 a : not having the mind or feelings engaged : not interested <telling them in a disinterested voice — Tom Wicker> <disinterested in women — J. A. Brussel>
b : no longer interested <husband and wife become disinterested in each other — T. I. Rubin>
2 : free from selfish motive or interest : unbiased <disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of real civilization — G. M. Trevelyan>
— dis·in·ter·est·ed·ly adverb"
Furthermore, a word is nothing but a sound (and corresponding set of squiggly lines) that is used to signify an idea. If any two people agree that a specific sound stands for a specific idea, that's a word. If the majority of people understand a "word" to mean something, you can point at some squiggles in your leather bound copy of the OED all day and it won't change their mind. They'll just write you off and stop listening to you.
I don't enjoy being wrong. I try to be as correct as possible whenever I can. It embarrasses me when an obvious typo, misspelling or wrong form of the word "there" makes in into my comic. I will be terribly embarrassed when someone inevitably points out an error in this post. I'm genuinely grateful to anybody who politely points out an error, especially if it is caught early. I am grateful to both you and Darren for trying to help me make my comic better, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one.
I'm not disinterested in your point, but I am uninterested in changing the title of this comic. :)
... and yes, I realize that by my earlier definition ":)" qualifies as a word.
And not to be confused with a trap
While not technically a rerun...
http://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2009/4/26/how-to-display-an-item-of-great-historical-significance.html
Mostly I'm disappointed because I was hoping today would be, "How to receive a pre-surgery pep-talk from your doctor" or "How to maintain your dignity in a hospital gown".
Note from Scott: You write over 400 of these and try not to occasionally revisit an idea. Also, I do have one more tonsillectomy comic scheduled to post on Sept, 4th.
RE: "the oxford comma" -- YES!
So, there is one more person who knows the right way to punctuate a list! I thought I was the only one.
Scott, you are a brilliant and funny man. Don't lower yourself to defeding your art to the bitter and lonely critics that lurk amongst your many rabid fans! ALl that time could have been spent creating a mate for Rocket Hat, (I'll be the first to volunteer...a mute man with superpowers and phallic symbols on his head? Where do I sign up!)
hey would that canvas tarpoleon be made of real cannabiss canvas?
"I will be terribly embarrassed when someone inevitably points out an error in this post. I'm genuinely grateful to anybody who politely points out an error, ..."
As politely as possible, then:
It's Merriam-Webster.
Love the strip.
Note from Scott: Thanks! (grumble-grumble)
I checked the Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language for "disinterested" and found:
So it seems to me that persistent use of the secondary meaning has overtaken the original meaning rather that persistent misuse creating a secondary meaning.
The "Oxford comma" is referred to as a "serial" comma, right there on page 2 of my Strunk and White. It's a great little book, and much easier to consult for grammatical issues than most other references. I highly recommend it for everyone's bookshelf. I keep mine next to my copy of "The Portable Curmudgeon."
In the first panel, I'm pretty sure that should be "disimpressed".
By any definition I am both disinterested and uninterested in the nick picking complaints of some of the BI readers around here. What does interest me is that I think that I just figured out how the incompetent Emperor of the Moon keeps capturing Rocket Hat. It appears that one of his henchmen has an alter ego that works with Scott. If only someone could pass on the message and warn him.
Comments are getting really quick approval and response today. Did you get the day off from work?
Note from Scott: It depends on what you call "work" ... and what I might or might not be "working" on.
https://plus.google.com/photos/105661691408254228724/albums/5644490235089469041
Seriously, folks? Usually the comment thread is as entertaining as the comic. Today has stooped to a new low on the petty scale.
Scott, you rock. Keep it up as always!
@ John
Wait, you're saying that Scott's co-worker is going to cause more problems than early Rick? And that Rocket Hat needs a warning?