h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hated mine. Eh, horses for courses I guess.

Mine stopped me going off the rails...well for a while

hated mine. Hated hated hated it. The girls were pretty ok though.

Why did you hate it so much?

All we girls formed a gang.

it was old fashioned and we were bullied horribly. Boarding school, huge massive enormous cavernous freezing cold dorms of 20 etc etc. Just - bleuch. and I was homesick

Sounds horrible. I was threatened with being sent to boarding school by my mother from a young age.

Luckily at my school we formed a strong gang that the teachers actually respected.

But boarding school sounds totally awful. It was my worst nightmare.

I hate those gangs, because I always ended up being bullied by them. As a new arrival, you have no chance.

Which gangs?

It was a loving gang and inclusive...(I don't understand this place...and the nasty constructions assumed).

"loving" and "inclusive" are not the words I'd associate with "gang", especially one going around threatening teachers...

Mal I don't have a clue what you are on about.

I'm talking English context and *my school*

Thye teachers loved us.

Using language "creatively" does have its drawbacks, Effers, in that you can't make yourself understood.

Gangs don't come into being for no reason. Even if one thinks they are evil, they're not usually completely evil. They offer their members a sort of family, and chances to earn respect that might not present themselves outside the gangs.

Gangs at Maidstone Girls Grammar were because of the oppression by authority. The teachers fully understood their role..and that it allowed us to feel safe.

You are spot on Paul.

h2g2 is the first place I've come across to have such a nasty construction put on the term.

But I learn new things about this place everyday.

Really? That's the first time you've heard of the word 'gang' having negative connotations?

Once again....

In *context* it was clear that I wasn't meaning 'gang' anything other than a jokey term...

My meaning was clearly not anything to do with anything seriously nasty.

But negative constructions are consistently put on things where none is intended.

My words here are forever twisted.

It never happens in real life where I live in the same way as nobody has the same RIGID way of thinking.

Seems to me Mala was just making the point that gangs can look different from the outside than from the inside. Perfectly valid point of view - a rigid way of thinking would be to say that one person's experience fits all.

She made a strong assumption

>I hate those gangs, because I always ended up being bullied by them. As a new arrival, you have no chance.<

'Those gangs'

That's from *her* experience...I don't know what *those gangs* are. She hasn't explained what those gangs are.

If it was one that included you, I'm sure it looked down on anyone not inside it.

Oh right more totally negative assumptions...and I still don't know what you mean by 'those gangs' You aren't communicating.

You know, I can think of only one proper tea shop in my area. The proprietor's specialty is scones and she has a wonderful variety of mismatched tea cups. It's a charming little place.