OT: "Beginner" is pejorative to young people?

Lumpy makes the point that "I'm just a beginner" is often a cop-out.
I often excuse myself from doing things well (or even doing things
right) because "I'm just starting out." Behind this seems to be the
assumption that it's excusable to be (sound) bad if I'm just a
beginner.

I work with teens and notice that they tend to view beginners
differently. "Newbie" ("n00b!") can be a pretty bad thing to call
someone, even though no one is born with the skill in question. The
assumption seems quite different: it's a shameful thing not to have
the skill, even if one has never had the opportunity to build it up.

I'm not looking to turn this into alt.pop.psychology. I just think
it's interesting that older people like me can use "beginner" in a
mitigating sense while younger people can use it in a critical sense.

--Cliff (who pronounces "valet" in rhyme with "ballet")



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  • Re: OT: "Beginner" is pejorative to young people?
    ... the skill, even if one has never had the opportunity to build it up. ... it's interesting that older people like me can use "beginner" in a ... mitigating sense while younger people can use it in a critical sense. ... -Suzuki Shunryu Roshi: Zen Mind, ...
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