Acronym overload

[Presentation]

Acronym overload

When I first joined Disboards I had a hard time with all the acronyms in the posts.

Of course, I blamed myself. I was new and needed to learn the shorthand.

In short order I learned DH = Dear husband (or is it Dumb husband?) and WDW = Walt Disney World and so on.

Then there are the general terms that are not unique to this board like LOL = laughing out loud.

I just read a post from a high post count long term Disboard member that was a reply to a new member.

Although the reply was intended to be helpful to the OP (original poster) it was so full of TLA’s (Three letter acronym’s) and BFLA’s (big four letter acronym’s) I could not understand the reply. I don’t think the person who posted the questions would be able to understand the answers either.

The reply had multiple acronyms that I had not yet come across.

How about you? Do you feel we are on acronym overload?



TTFN

 

[WDWLVR]

As this is not cruise related I'm moving it over to our community board.

 

[Jennasis]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1660743

Acronyms and definitions for you!

 

[lisadr]

OMG I know! SOmetimes I look at a thread and think WTH?!!

 

[Uncle Remus]

OMG I know! SOmetimes I look at a thread and think WTH?!!

OMG!

 

[ckay87]

Omg, Lol....mte!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Try working for the government with all of their acronyms!!

 

[lisadr]

Try working for the government with all of their acronyms!!

LOL-my mom does and sometimes I have to stop her to translate .

 

[DisneyMomforLife]

I can't get away from it, my 11 year old will say " O-M-G, it was so funny I was like I was totally L-O-L" ... she talks in text talk, lol.

 

[jsmith]

HAH-my husband is in the military and i work for the army also-you aint seen nothing til your DH is the S-2 NCOIC for the FIB and you work for the BCTC for the 4th ID as a CSA.

 

[Feralpeg]

I don't like it, but it is a sign of the times. No one takes the time anymore to type out full words. Some bother me more than others. When I see someone use "u" for "you", it drives me crazy. But, we must pick out battles in life. I've decided this one isn't worth the effort.

 

[Micca]

Deciphering acronyms is a part of my very small skill set. I'm good like that.

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

Kinda reminds me of Good Morning Vietnam.

"Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put out in K.P. "

 

[Aimeedyan]

Every board I post on uses them, Disboards is not unique *shrug*

 

[Uncle Remus]

Every board I post on uses them, Disboards is not unique *shrug*

I've been on one or two where they were NOT allowed.

 

[Jestocost]

Many of those are initialisms, not acronyms. Acronyms must be pronouncable as words.

 

[Babboo]

Precisely! That is why we can say BOHICA or things like WYSIWYG since they are true acronyms.

Here's my personal (although totally full of baloney) reason acronyms exist at all.

I was in the military for 9 years and was floored by these "terms" that meant nothing but meant everything. I was a comm-electronics maintenance tech and was told to go check a piece of equipment. I did and sat back down after being told it was "INOP". Well - let me see. Sergeant whoopy wants something ASAP (as soon as possible). Colonel thingy wants our WAR (weekly activity report). So I figured I was being clever by deducing they were messing with me about the piece of INOP equipment. After all - It's Not Our Problem...

WRONG!

After that I started thinking about all these dumb-a**ed terms and how they get slung around. And it occurred to me.

This was all a practice in obfuscation. They were TRYING to make things sound far more important that they really are. And here's the history.

Waaaaaaaaay back when there were only two commands - mount and dismount - a Sergeant told a Corporal he wanted something done PDQ!!! and boy did that Corporal jump. Sarge NEVER said things like that so it must REALLY be important.

Of course this Corporal learned (as Corporals sometimes do) - and when he was telling the Private to get something done (and not to be outdone) he told that Private to get it ASAP! This was overheard by the commander who later informed his subordinates he wanted ALL things done ASAP! Well - of course these smart junior officers had also heard the grumpy old Sergeant yelling things like this at his platoon so by gosh it MUST mean some serious business (since we all know that junior officers are smart and pay attention to their Sr NCO corps). And from there it escalated like every other pissin' contest. Each trying to not be outdone by the other, thus making themselves and their unique mission even MORE substantial and important.

That would be why we have such alphabet soup today. They're all busy trying to sound more important than the last fella. I have heard entire conversations in almost nothing but acronyms - sadly most of them made perfect sense.