[General] Social Distancing

[Iliaa]

Hello,

Why was social distancing called so, if it entails only physical distancing? People can be 1 meter apart and can still talk and socialize.
That's how the terms sounds to me. But I'm a non-native speaker, so there might be another perspective from which to see this term.
Calling it physical distancing makes more sense.

What do you think?

Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

It had to be called something. "Physical distancing" could relate to things. "Social" implies people.
It could have been personal distancing, personal spacing, or many other things.
No, I don't know the real reason.

 

[GoesStation]

In this context, social means "relating to people". Since the goal is to maintain a certain distance from other people, social distancing is a perfect term for the practice. Early in the pandemic I saw a number of complaints that physical distancing would be a better term. It's not; as Raymott notes, "physical distancing" says nothing about what is supposed to be distant from what.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yes to both of the above. It's okay to socialize or be in society as long as we don't get too close.

I've also read somewhere that the social became the word of choice in this context because, thanks to the term social media, the word is popular. It has a trendy and friendly connotation.

 

[Iliaa]

Thanks all for your input. :up:

I see your point about not using physical distancing.
How about corporal distancing?

I'm not saying they should change the term, social distancing is the de facto term now, but this is only brainstorming.

I think it is strange, that people became more prolific with social media, while keeping social distancing. That's why I think social is not the best term.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Thanks all for your input. :up:

I see your point about not using physical distancing.
How about corporal distancing?

That would be much worse. To most people, corporal is just an army rank.

I'm not saying they should change the term, social distancing is the de facto term now, but this is only brainstorming.

I think it is strange, that people became more prolific with social media, while keeping social distancing. That's why I think social is not the best term.

You're right, it's an oxymoron. But remember, native English speakers like oxymorons.

 

[Tdol]

How about corporal distancing?

That sounds like not having sexual intercourse to me. :shock:

I see your point about social media, but who seriously cannot tell the difference between Twitter and a bus queue?

 

[GoesStation]

A few hours after I posted #3, a Facebook friend put up an emphatic message rejecting "social" in favor of "physical distancing", so the preference is still out there. I can't fathom it.

 

[Tdol]

It's a new term- some people always object to the new. They objected to the word television and proposed something that didn't mix Greek and Latin. They never win, and never learn. It's called social distancing- suck it up, pedants.

 

[GoesStation]

I don't think that dynamic is operating here. The preferred term for those who object to "social" always seems to be "physical distancing", which I see as imprecise. I think my position is more pedantic; only a logophile grasps the logic behind the choice of "social" without further explanation.

I'm going to ask my friend exactly what he dislikes about "social". I have a feeling it has to do with the sense that we're being asked to increase our emotional distance. I'll report back.

 

[jutfrank]

I'm going to ask my friend exactly what he dislikes about "social". I have a feeling it has to do with the sense that we're being asked to increase our emotional distance.

Yes, I'm sure that's it. We don't have to distance ourselves socially—only physically.

I'm with your friend. 'Physical distancing' is much the better term. (Though to be honest, the issue hadn't occurred to me before reading this thread.)

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, I'm sure that's it. We don't have to distance ourselves socially—only physically.

I'm with your friend. 'Physical distancing' is much the better term. (Though to be honest, the issue hadn't occurred to me before reading this thread.)

In the abstract, physical distancing is weak because it doesn't say who or what should be distant. But everyone knows that it's you and me. Once a term has been adopted, its precise origin no longer matters.

My Facebook friend liked the comment I made about my surmise, so I apparently guessed the source of his discomfort correctly.

 

[SoothingDave]

I understood it as "in social situations, maintain a distance."

 

[jutfrank]

Everyone obviously understood it in the same way.

The argument against using the word social is a linguistic one. It's clear that there's a contrastive semantic difference between the following two noun phrases:

social distance
physical distance

These are two very different notions. The 'problem' (for those that see one) with the term social distancing is that it seems to relate to the notion of social distance, not physical distance. The fact we're talking about distance between people rather than things is not very relevant, I think.

 

[Tdol]

Isn't that the point, though? The distance we had before socially, involving touching and kissing has to change to stand a few metres apart. It's social distance that means we don't shake hands.

 

[GoesStation]

To me, the term is a telegraphed version of social physical distance: maintaining physical distance when engaged in social interactions.

 

[jutfrank]

Isn't that the point, though? The distance we had before socially, involving touching and kissing has to change to stand a few metres apart. It's social distance that means we don't shake hands.

Yes, I think that's a great point. A lot of the things we do as social creatures involve close physical proximity.

 

[Tarheel]

I've seen it called antisocial distancing.

 

[TheParser]

But I'm a non-native speaker, so there might be another perspective from which to see this term.

NOT A TEACHER


1. I have just stumbled across an article from the Guardian, a British newspaper.

a. It explains that the term "social distancing" was coined in the 1950s by a social scientist.
b. He meant it in the sense that the upper classes kept their distance (both literally and figuratively) from nobodies like me.

2. When you get time, just google these words to read the short article: "Social distancing. How a 1950s phrase came to dominate 2020. The Guardian." (Excuse this computer-illiterate senior citizen [old man] for not linking to it.)

 

[jutfrank]

He meant it in the sense that the upper classes kept their distance (both literally and figuratively) from nobodies like me.

Right. That truly is social distancing, as it relates to the notion of social distance.