Bubble:

Balloon:

Which one has a tail that connects it to the owner?  Hmmmm...  Not too hard to figure out why one is correct (thought balloon) and one is wrong (thought bubble).

BTW, and once again, your analogy using "soda" and "pop" is severely flawed.  It's a regionalism/colloquialism based on the original term "soda pop" and is in no way similar to "bubble" and "balloon".  In other words, the terms "bubble" and "balloon" are not synonymous in any way.  I'm afraid you're just dead wrong when you use the former instead of the latter. But, by all means, keep trying to convince us that you aren't, Eric!

"Um..." in point of fact there are plenty of people who use the word "nigger" because that is the word they use, not because they imagine it has any negative racial connotations. That's precisely why I chose that word as my illustration.

Enough already with the casual tossing around of racist epithets!

John, you cannot possibly be that ignorant to believe that people who use racial slurs do so without any negative intent or connotation.  If you do indeed believe that, I strongly encourage you to seek some counsel and educate yourself on the matter, if you don't want to take my word for it.  I've only been black and lived in this country for, oh, my entire life, so I may not be aware of how things really are out there...

We spend an awful lot of time on this board dealing with the issue of respect, as it pertains to comic book characters, comic book terminology, reverence for creator's original visions, nicknames for comic book characters, etc.  People tread lightly on eggshells out of fear of upsetting you and your many rules for how seriously this wonderful hobby of our should be taken, both by us within it and by those civilians outside of it.  How about we extend that same measure of respect to the people who participate in this board?

We're supposed to take your word for how things should be in the industry, how characters are supposed to be treated, etc because of your years of experience.  How about you extend me the same courtesy on this issue?

This isn't about political correctness, or "looking for something to be offended by."  It is simply a matter of consideration and manners...

There were an infinite number of comparitives you could have chosen to illustrate your point about correct comic book terminology.  The fact that you chose the one you did...why? 

I think we get your point.  They are balloons, not bubbles.  Fine.  Your comparitive example sucked.  Just as you ask us not to use terms that bother, offend or piss you off, I'm asking you publicly to not use racially insensitive terms and epithets on the board as well.  Or is that something you would have a problem with?

If we were saying 'speech balloon', then yeah but since it's thought balloon-or-bubble, the item in question is usually connected to the thinker by a stream of what look like bubbles..which would support Eric's argument more than yours, Matt...

Not that I am saying he is right, mind you...

(see my signature for further clarification....)

"Nigger" is -- like so many others -- a word with a complex etymology and an even more complex pattern of use.

Eric Kleefeld wrote: A typewriter already refers to something very different from a computer.  This would be like my example of retcons, revamps and reboots being different things that shouldn't be confused.  However, laptop computers are also sometimes called notebook computers.  That would be a case of synonyms along with soda/pop and balloon/bubble.

And a balloon already refers to something very different from a bubble. The correct term is balloon. It has been a balloon since these things have been named. So, now, since some people incorrectly call it a bubble, it's ok? Just because some people call it that? Nope. Doesn't work. If your term switching works, so does mine.

John Byrne wrote: Though, I do wonder why Captain America would be described as wearing a uniform. ****** Because he's not Mr. America.

On the other hand, Mar-Vell's 2nd outfit (the red and blue one) would be a costume despite him being Captain Marvel, right?

About the "it's clearly a balloon since bubbles don't have an end that points anywhere".

Just want to point out that in Swedish, the thing that's being discussed here is (translated straight to English) called a "speech bubble". If you were to say "speech balloon" basically no one, except possibly people who speaks Swedish but has English as their first language, would understand what you meant.

Todd Hembrough wrote: The movie Pulp Fiction was filled with 'that word'.  Spoken by Tarantino as well as Ving Rhames and Samuel L. Jackson, as an example.  I was shocked that it was used as an honorific (almost) and not a pejorative. T

And Tarantino was widely censured by many for his liberal usage of the word.

Todd, just because you see something in a movie doesn't make that thing right.  And I'm sure you know that already; you come across in a very intelligent manner in your posts.

I am not here to be the board's race monitor.  This thread was about comic book terminology, not about casual use of racial slurs. 

Think about it like this.  JB is a comics professional who takes his craft very seriously.  He reacts strongly when he perceives things that disrespect the genre, things that some of us who aren't as deeply entrenched in the profession probably wouldn't take notice of.  Things such as whether or not someone calls a balloon a bubble, or a caption a box, or a costume a uniform.

I react just as strongly when I perceive things that are disrespectful to me, things that some of you who don't come from a similar background or experience probably wouldn't take notice of.

It would be nice if the same consideration was given to others when requested.  What's sad is that such consideration would have to be requested at all.

It was a poor example, JB, which you then went on to defend when three posters pointed that out to you.  Is it impossible for you to say, "I meant no ill intent with my point but I respect how you see the issue"?