(Echt)
My German is a bit rusty (to non existant). The German word, “Ersatz” does occasionally get used as a borrow word in English; generally meaning a substitute or replacement and with very strong implication that it is inferior to the origonal.
It’s (much less frequently seen) Teutonic counterpart is “Echt” :- authentic, the real deal.
I think in these days of increasing AI contribution, these are terms that deserve a wider application. They could serve as an easy shorthand (Ez /Ec) to indicate the provinence of a piece of text/research/picture of a talking whale.
Of course there are people who will doubtless take exception to the suggestion that AI is “inferior” or substitute, (although I suspect they are mostly fake Trolls). AI continues to get better, it is “the future”.
Findus frozen beef lasagne was a cheap convenience food from my student days (I have spoken of it before). I am not here to comment on it nutritional value (probably nil), but ex students of a certain age may recall the furore when it was discovered that it “could” contain horsemeat. Front page headlines and horror!
I did not share the nationalwide revulsion. THere are many countries where horsemeat is just one more staple product. It is not inherently “bad” or good, or any wose than pig or rabbit or cow, but the horse get a good press and is generally thought “too cute ” to be food (unless perhaps if starving and no other choice). Since they are not nearly as smart as pigs – or octopus (for our consumers of seafood), this seems like a bit of raw deal for other members of the animal kingdom, but, be that as it may, I liked my Findus Lasgne and had no objection to the possibility of horse for dinner.
What I was unhappy about, was not being told it was horse. BEEF lasagne should not be so sold. (Unidentified meat lasagne is not as catchy though). I would like the choice, and while I would not personally have been offput (per se), it’s damn clear that they would have lost a lot of UK custom with Findus frozen horse lasagne… as indeed they did, after the scandle.
However despite the national outcry (6 o’clock news, frontpage of the Sun), no-one died of mad horse disease. No one suffered from Equine meat alergy, no children were deprived of vital vitamins.. (ok, so there were no vital vitamins in Findus frozen anything, but I think you get the idea). It wasn’t even illegal (maybe borderline) at the time.
What was demanded was tansparency and honesty as to what the product was, and what it was not. This – for something, not actually harmful, which we might put in our bodies.
Why then should we not ask the same transparency, the same honesty, for something we consume with our minds? And something which clearly has the potential to mislead, misdirect and deceive. Not to even consider the potential harm done to those it replaces. (Would the cattle ranchers have done nothing, if Horse lasagne had lead to their destitution?).
Sure this is potentially far more “potentially” inimical? I’m not saying it’s all bad, I saying we deserve the right to chose, to know, whether the article or art is “Echt” or “Ersatz”.
Possibly what we need is writers and artists to evolve to be more “cute” – if you could keep them as pets, that would set the public in arms!
NNext week/time on IaDL …looks like York.
Dalmallyfest the Asylum 