Well, the idea of "-mania" meaning "collective outpouring of enthusiasm" rather than "mental illness" dates to at least the 1960s with Beatlemania, even if the original use of the formulation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisztomania - was intended to have clinical meaning.
I am unaware of any actual objections to this usage from, for instance, psychiatrists or mental health organisations.
Chris
On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 1:16 PM, Stuart Prior stuart.prior@wikimedia.org.uk wrote:
"Mania" is not a word where the meaning has completely changed, and is still evidently used in current psychiatry. https://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania#References
A prescriptivist view of the word would be deciding what it *doesn't* mean, as much as what it *does*. Gordo is rightly pointing out that nowadays it just has more meanings, and has stigmatising qualities like the words "lame", "retard" etc. And we should think about that as a movement that tries to be inclusive.
Personally I've always thought that Wikimania needed a name change (Wikimedia Conference needs a name change too). WikiGlobal? WikiSummit? WikiFest?
S
On 3 November 2016 at 12:54, Stephan Schulz schulz@eprover.org wrote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy
On 03 Nov 2016, at 13:52, Pierre-Selim pierre-selim@huard.info wrote:
I'm not specially shocked. In France we have a video game retail
company called Micromania (based on microcomputer and mania), who targeted video game player (I don't think the name of the company is confused by anyone as a medical condition or an insult).
Long time ago I heard a good joke about the naming of the conference:
it should be called the Wikimedia Conference and what is call now the Wikimedia Conference should probably be called Wikimania
2016-11-03 13:28 GMT+01:00 Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com:
Is it proper and correct to use the term "mania"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mania
Would we say "WikiMad" or WikiCrazy"?
Gordo
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