Isn't "antidisestablishmentarianism" really just "establishmentarianism?"

[short bus president]

And isn't that kind of a cheap way to get the "longest word in the English language" title, through the pointless addition of extraneous non-uncontradictory prefixes?

[ET Awful]

1. Well technically, there is a fine-line difference between the two :)

being for establishment and being against disestablishment aren't necessarily the same thing :).

[short bus president]

9. semantics!

they should have just been pro-establishment and anti-establishment. I feel disenfranchised, and I'm strongly antidisenfranchisement. :P

[Demit]

2. I think you fell prey to it yourself, with "non-uncontradictory ", lol

[Nye Bevan]

3. That does not take the title for longest word

"floccinaucinihilipilification" is longer (29 letters as opposed to 28).

Then there is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" (a miners' lung disease caused by inhaling silica).

More at http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantidis.html

[renaissanceguy]

4. How would you use that word

in a sentence?

[short bus president]

10. see the original post, subject line.

;-)

[asthmaticeog]

5. It's not just a pile of contradictory prefixes.

Disestablishmentarianism was a specific political doctrine held by those who advocated the abolishment of official state religion.

[short bus president]

11. so they were

anti-nonabolitionists...

:P

[tjwmason]

6. They have a slightly different meaning.

Remember that these relate to the position of the Church of England and the State here in Britain.

Those who favour the separation of Church and State are the disestablishmentarians (because they wish to disestablish it), those who oppose that change are the antidisestablishmentarians. From personal experience I can tell you that few of these are full-blown establishmentarians - that is few favour the establishment of the Church as a matter of policy.

If a person strongly favoured the continued establishment of the C.ofE., but equally strongly opposed the establishment of a "Church of America" (which could be a perfectly consistent logical position) then they would be an antidisestablishmentarian without being an establishmentarian. Recognising that the particular forces and historical currents which have shaped England are very different from those which have shaped America - further recognising that both countries have freedom of religion, and that in neither place is there any great problem caused by the situation of Church-State.

[redqueen]

8. I just love all the geeks in the lounge.

:loveya:

[tjwmason]

13. I'll take that as a compliment

I'm not entirely sure that it was one though. :loveya:

[redqueen]

14. Oh, it is.

:hi:

[Bunny]

7. Some pretty deep shit for a Monday morning, short bus.

Can we start with something a little easier?

[short bus president]

12. I'm always in deep shit, bunny.

;-)