I'm not a Jedi, but a ... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

alatar · 06-16-2009, 10:39 AM

Forms! Forms! Forms! I'm so sick of forms!

Did you ever 'register' a item that you purchased, providing information about yourself in the hopes that, in completing the form, you will be able to make a claim later when said product breaks? You check boxes and fill in answers to questions about the most personal of things, like if you read books, how much money you have, if you are considering purchasing a computer in the next three months, etc. Other forms ask even more detailed information, like which race you belong to and what religion you prefer.

Even on governmental forms, I squirm at answering these last two as the choices provided really don't cover the answers that I would like to provide (especially when you know that phenotypes aren't genotypes), and as I grew in up in a place where I was taught that every year was 1984, I'm always hesitant at picking *any* choice for fear that I am then 'stereotyped.'

So many times, when I even provide information, I choose "Other." Sometimes, when choosing None of the above, you're given the option to write in what you really think. In the past I've indicated that I was a 'Half-Elf,' as I've always have had an affinity for those people, and no one really knows what 'istarian' means - if it's even a word. Anyway, think that I have multiple write in options for the race question, as the WoW and similar games have made fantasy 'races' more mainstream. For religion, on the other hand, I don't have a word that expresses how I feel. Other genres seemingly have had their input, as many have claimed, "Jedi," as an official response to religion preference, though I'm not sure where that word comes from, having never heard it before.

So the question then is, what, if I believed as, say Aragorn or Elrond or Frodo or Galadriel, would be my similar Tolkienesque response?

06-16-2009, 10:39 AM	#1
alatar Doubting Dwimmerlaik Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Heaven's basement Posts: 2,466	I'm not a Jedi, but a ... Forms! Forms! Forms! I'm so sick of forms! Did you ever 'register' a item that you purchased, providing information about yourself in the hopes that, in completing the form, you will be able to make a claim later when said product breaks? You check boxes and fill in answers to questions about the most personal of things, like if you read books, how much money you have, if you are considering purchasing a computer in the next three months, etc. Other forms ask even more detailed information, like which race you belong to and what religion you prefer. Even on governmental forms, I squirm at answering these last two as the choices provided really don't cover the answers that I would like to provide (especially when you know that phenotypes aren't genotypes), and as I grew in up in a place where I was taught that every year was 1984, I'm always hesitant at picking any choice for fear that I am then 'stereotyped.' So many times, when I even provide information, I choose "Other." Sometimes, when choosing None of the above, you're given the option to write in what you really think. In the past I've indicated that I was a 'Half-Elf,' as I've always have had an affinity for those people, and no one really knows what 'istarian' means - if it's even a word. Anyway, think that I have multiple write in options for the race question, as the WoW and similar games have made fantasy 'races' more mainstream. For religion, on the other hand, I don't have a word that expresses how I feel. Other genres seemingly have had their input, as many have claimed, "Jedi," as an official response to religion preference, though I'm not sure where that word comes from, having never heard it before. So the question then is, what, if I believed as, say Aragorn or Elrond or Frodo or Galadriel, would be my similar Tolkienesque response? __________________ There is naught that you can do, other than to resist, with hope or without it. Last edited by alatar; 06-16-2009 at 12:02 PM.