And some Starkness

[vilakins]

I saw something about this in the paper today, so I googled it. Reporters are being encouraged to use the new word 'starkish'. It's some weird PR campaign with the prize of a trip to New York. I've looked further, and here's a bit more about it. Stark is a new vodka drink and apparently "women don't want artificial flavours and colours so we ensured them that Stark was free of all these".

As a Farscape fan, I'm quite amused (though appalled at the cynicism behind it). 'Starkish' is supposed "to describe something with a sense of proportion and good taste" which is not really the Stark we know and love. I'm tempted to use it with the exact opposite meaning.

Comments

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

This amuses me greatly, at the same time as it makes me one to roll my eyes.

I think you should use "Starkish" to mean "completely bugfuck insane" instead. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Exactly! And I had the same reaction.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

I can't see myself rushing to use that word - there is the saying, 'stark staring mad' after all (apologies to Stark, of course).

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that was a factor in naming him.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Well, that and "stark" is already a word with a meaning, so if you call something "starkish", well, it means "sort of bare", not "of high quality like this vodka drink".

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, bizarre, isn't it? Also, 'stark' in German means 'strong', so I get that vibe from it too.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I'm imagining a lot of English teachers with steam coming out of their ears if they hear this word, lol.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

In the same year when NZ has approved txtspk for use on exams, I'm not sure "starkish" will register. :)

Man, though, I read the articles after I posted, and, whoa, was that first article sinister.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Txtspk in exams... honestly, I kept waiting for a reporter to say, 'Ha Ha, we've just made this item up. Of course people would not be that stupid'. *cries*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

AFAIK it's not approved for English and literature exams etc, but for other subjects when knowledge of the subject is shown, and the rules do not appear to have actually been changed, though there's a bit of ambiguity about that. Here's an article about it (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000775BD-B75F-1552-AF5783027AF10017).

Yes, the first article was worrying. I only heard about it today because I saw a joking reference to it in the paper and decided to find out what it was about.