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“Ruff’s Discombobulated Dissing!”

October, 2014

A distinct advantage of having children & grandchildren is learning a new vocabulary to describe situations, attitudes & behavior which we have known instinctively since childhood. One example of this is dissing. When I was growing up it was called being disrespectful & adults had several effective antidotes to make sure it was discontinued. But today it is a culturally acceptable way of speaking & in some circles it is valued highly. The urban dictionary defines it as showing disrespect or disconnecting someone while they attempt to communicate. That has a negative connotation. But I want to suggest we try a “new” form of dissing, which is actually as old as the English language itself. And Ruff’s dissing can be highly entertaining without provoking offense.

At its root, dissing comes from the Latin prefix “dis” which means set apart or remove. Thus discourage means to set apart courage & discard to means to remove cards. One of my all-time favorite words is discombobulated. It’s just a fancy way of saying confused, but there is something about the way it rolls off the tongue that seems to convey exactly what it means. Using my dissing technique then, discombobulated would mean removing or setting apart that which is combobulated. But combobulated is not even a word. And I find that a bit discombobulating!

This month we shall ponder some of the other discombobulating nuances of the English language when we apply Ruff’s dissing technique:

**If scheduling a visit to the dentist is called an appointment…**

**Why isn’t cancelling it a disappointment?**

**If this is solving a puzzle… should my attempt be called dissolving?**

**Is the antidote for a stressful life…**

**learning to be distressed?**

**Why is it that discrediting may be the only creditable way**

**to redeem your credit once it becomes discredited?**

**If a singer becomes disconcerting…**

**will her tour become disconcerted?**

**Did you hear the NFL discussed**

**having all coaches & players discuss**

**during the post-game discussions?**

**It is a distortion to believe Congress can…**

actually distort itself?

If this is a tribute… Is this a distribute?

**What do you call a distiller whose distillery has been displaced by the authorities?**

Distilled!

**Do drug pushers become disjointed…**

**when they are dispossessed?**

**If young students get to play at recess…**

**do middle school students have to display?**

**If parents ease up on restrictions…**

are **they creating a new district?**

Is it just a matter of discoursing with my professor…

**to drop a tough college course?**

**If these jeans are patched… does that mean these are dispatched?**

**If a baby poses for his picture in his birthday suit…**

**does he become disposable when wearing this?**

And finally…

**Have you discovered that it is a chilling experience…**

when you are discovered?

Point to Ponder:

Language is a tricky thing. There is often a disparity between the words we discharge & the disquiet they dispense to our hearers. It is little wonder then, that James says everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak & slow to become angry. Even when we speak the same language, a lack of common experiences can distort the meaning of our words. As a result discrepancies in our communication occur & we easily become discombobulated. As a disciple my goal is to discern when this occurs & disarm the situation so as to not create a disturbance. If we are discrete & don’t disparage one another, the distance between us will often dissipate.

Blessings,

Ruff