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#173637 02/17/08 02:04 AM
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Is 'passively condone' repetitive (does the word condone imply passivity)?

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[Decided to remove this post.]

Last edited by zmjezhd; 02/17/08 02:18 AM.

Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Here's a definition I found for condone, which is what I always believed it to mean: To overlook, forgive, or disregard (an offense) without protest or censure


I don't know then, if you can passively condone since you have to make a choice to overlook, forgive or disregard. Even if you do it nonchalantly, you still make an active choice to do so.

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Yes, I see what you're getting at. I was composing a letter today to a local radio station that continues to play a song (surprisingly, not a rap song) that I find offensive because it contains a line that I interpret as being repulsively sexist. I was accusing them of passively condoning sexism and perpetuating damaging myths about gender by playing the song.

They make a choice to play the song, but they are not choosing to play it (I'm assuming) because they think it sexist. They are playing it because they think it's a good song. Maybe condone is just the wrong word altogether.

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I think many people would understand condone to mean approve of rather than merely not object to. Passively condone seems to mean what you mean it to mean without sounding ...um, mean about it.

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yeah, I think it is an effective use of slight redundancy. without the "passively" it sounds much more harsh.


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To condone something, you have to be aware of it. Perhaps they simply overlooked it. "Unwittingly promulgate", seems more suited to your context IMO.

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good point.

but if they didn't notice it, do you think they'll know what "promulgate" means?


/snark


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I think passively is ok, especially if the subject is known to condone things in different ways. If you paSSSIVELY CONDONE SOMETHING YOU DON'T MUCH THINK ABOUT IT

As unlike me some passively condone the proximity of the Caps Lock to the Shift


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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

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