A little bit more about imbroglio (I am still retired, though)
A little while ago I said that I was going to call those fandom metastorms on race, religion, etc. imbroglio. coffeeandink recently posted that she too wants people to stop using the word wank to describe said large-scale discussions, but that she felt imbroglio lacks intentionality and responsibility. Below is my comment to her explaining a bit of my reasoning.
I like imbroglio for a number of different reasons.
Two of the most important ones are: 1) it is not part of everyday speech but it is not, I think, unknown to most well-educated native speakers; i.e. it is free to be adopted for a particular fannish meaning, but its dictionary definition means that people coming across it for the first time will understand what we're talking about in a way that they wouldn't necessarily with a term of art like slash and 2) it has a sound which pleases me, and I would be happy to hear and say repeatedly.
Another reason I like imbroglio is that it covers the full-spectrum of behaviors involved, from thoughtless offense, to well-intentioned disagreement, all the way through to deliberate insult and 'my friends will beat up your friends.'
I also like it because it doesn't mean that the instant case started up as an exchange of hostilities in the same way that argument or fight implies.
And last, I like it because it implies connection, which I hope people take to mean that all of the subjects for imbroglio - race, religion, class, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender - are connected (i.e. intersectionality) but also that the participants in the imbroglio are inextricably intertwined (i.e. we're all in this fandom thing together, like it or not.)
Last but not least, the meme "don't call it a wank" is starting to propagate, but I think part of the reason it has failed to spread as far and fast as one might hope is because there is no, "call it X instead." Imbroglio seemed like an X people wouldn't have too many problems with. Alas, you* do not like it!
* coffeeandink
I like imbroglio for a number of different reasons.
Two of the most important ones are: 1) it is not part of everyday speech but it is not, I think, unknown to most well-educated native speakers; i.e. it is free to be adopted for a particular fannish meaning, but its dictionary definition means that people coming across it for the first time will understand what we're talking about in a way that they wouldn't necessarily with a term of art like slash and 2) it has a sound which pleases me, and I would be happy to hear and say repeatedly.
Another reason I like imbroglio is that it covers the full-spectrum of behaviors involved, from thoughtless offense, to well-intentioned disagreement, all the way through to deliberate insult and 'my friends will beat up your friends.'
I also like it because it doesn't mean that the instant case started up as an exchange of hostilities in the same way that argument or fight implies.
And last, I like it because it implies connection, which I hope people take to mean that all of the subjects for imbroglio - race, religion, class, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender - are connected (i.e. intersectionality) but also that the participants in the imbroglio are inextricably intertwined (i.e. we're all in this fandom thing together, like it or not.)
Last but not least, the meme "don't call it a wank" is starting to propagate, but I think part of the reason it has failed to spread as far and fast as one might hope is because there is no, "call it X instead." Imbroglio seemed like an X people wouldn't have too many problems with. Alas, you* do not like it!
* coffeeandink