It is a well-known fact that when one knows even a little about a subject, if you read something on the topic in the newspaper/hear a report on the radio it will often have you hopping up and down because of the ignorance displayed. I often hop up and down when the Today programme is aired, because people tend to talk rubbish about economics. Even if you barely got beyond Lipsey, the standard text for A-level/1st year under-graduate economics students when I was at school, you know enough to recognise half-baked, half-grasped ideas being presented as undisputed facts. Now it turns out that many BBC journalists have not even got as far as Lipsey and are basically economically semi-literate, which explains a lot. A recent independent investigation into the offerings of the BBC's general journalists ( not the economic specialists) concluded that a mixture of ignorance, "uninformed group think" and a temptation to hype stories runs through the corporation's economic coverage, with date presented in the most alarming way possible.
The same principle applies to the 2 vintage "susies" advertised for sale down in Cornwall. We know that ringers do things differently in the south west, but I doubt whether they call the fluffy bits on their bell ropes susies rather than the more conventional sallys. I suspect the seller is not a bell ringer, did not want to expose their ignorance by referring to them as "the fluffy bits on bell ropes" in case people sneered, so went for a girl's name beginning with "s". They could have equally chosen Sandra , Serena or Samantha. Unfortunately, they plumped for the wrong girl's name and even more people sniggered than if they had stuck to the non-technical yet accurate phrasing about fluffy bits.
Or is there a more subtle message? Susie/Susi/Suzie is the female form of Susanna(h) and means lily. It symbolises purity, fertility and innocent beauty. In 2021 there were only 80 girls formally named Susie in the USA. But a Susie can have alternative meanings. Take your pick from a cheap date/ an androgynous message board troll having a self-congratulatory on-line conversation with themselves/ a tip for a member of hospitality staff/ a rotating serving tray (only lazy girls need apply)/the air brake hose coupling between tractor unit and trailer on an articulated HGV truck/an unsavoury glove used in prisons for pleasure ( do not investigate further – you do not need to know). Perhaps the picture shows some sallys, but at £40 I would expect more than a couple of fluffy bits – what else might be on offer?
Imagine your disappointment if you coughed up 2 twenties and received an air brake hose in the post and you did not even own an articulated truck.
Should we believe the picture of what is offered or the text?
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