La Vie En Rose for 2005 August 15 (entry 0)

(5) Mon Aug 15 2005 14:52 PST Someone should tell Jim Dale: When one is listening to audio, one notices these things.

I was reading about a "dispassionate" defense of the Allied actions (or rather, lack of action) in regards to Serbia in 1915, and, overcome with curiosity, I looked up the definition: Devoid of or unaffected by passion, emotion, or bias.

In HBP, this word is used twice in regards to (hey, if someone who intends to still has not read the book, let me know, otherwise I'm going to stop doing this)...

In other news, I was trying to win a special edition CD of In Blue on eBay, but someone sneakily and unfairly outbid me about 30 secnds before the acution ended. I didn't even have to time bid again! I though eBay had a policy of extending auctions for 5 minutes or so when this happened, but apparently not. I am trying not to be upset because there is another one I can bid on, but it just seems like a really bitchy thing to do.

Comments:

Posted by Rachel at Mon Aug 15 2005 23:00

Ron and Lavender, first when Ginny said dispassionatley that it looks like he [Ron] is trying to eat her [Lavender's] face, and second when Hermione said she thought asking out Cormmick would bother Ron most. Now, I can see Ginny saying what she said with a straight face, and kinda see Hermione doing the same, but in the audio, both girls are totally passionate/emotional/biased. I was second guessing my idea of what the word meant until I stumbled across it in this book, when I realised it wouldn't really make sense for "sixty years of historical hindsight" to give a more *passionate* view. Plus it just seems like dispassionate shouldn't meant the same as passionate, but one never knows with words. They don't always mean what they should.

Posted by Chris at Tue Aug 16 2005 00:06

I think what we have here is a misinterpretation of the book in the audio format. It seems that under both given situations it would make sense for each girl to have a strong control over her emotions to hide their true nature (which presumably would be passionate). The result should be void of emotion and thus be dispassionate. It sounds like the audio book misinterpretted this as passionate, which seems out of context (without hearing the cases myself). Why I bother to comment on menial nuances in the English vocabulary as an Engineer would seem like a better topic for discussion.

Posted by Professor Dumbledore at Tue Aug 16 2005 00:21

Yes, that's right. I've come back from the dead to comment on your post. I suppose that I should read it before I comment. Hold on a minute.

Ok, I've read it, and I have this to say to you dear Rachel: I'm touched that you are Harry and my biggest fan. I shall send you a special muggle mug (I'm a great fan of alliteration) for your efforts. Carry on the important work of the Phoenix, dear child!

Posted by Madeline Albright at Tue Aug 16 2005 00:23

I think I made up for that lack of passion in the Balkans back in 1999, don't you think-- especially when I swore out the KLA at that one summit in that chateau in France. We're so lucky to have me on this planet.

Posted by Professor Slughorn at Tue Aug 16 2005 00:29

Chris-- you use a lot of big words for an engineer. Perhaps I can interest you in a game of scrabble later at the slug club?