Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has been flirting with the thin line between cheekily relevant and irritatingly attention seeking lately. The evolving compendium of the English language has garnered headlines recently with its social media swipes at the Trump administration. And now, the dictionary is trolling Apple fans by using them as an example of the term “sheeple”.
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[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2016/11/a-ton-of-people-are-looking-up-the-definition-of-fascism-for-some-reason/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/hvq4betyqxxaii37zgnc.jpg” title=”A Ton Of People Are Looking Up The Definition Of ‘Fascism’ For Some Reason” excerpt=”Merriam-Webster reported Sunday evening that “fascism” is currently the top look-up on its site. According to the dictionary, searches for “misogyny,” “bigot,” “xenophobe,” “racism” and “xenophobia” also spiked after Tuesday’s election. I wonder why.”]
According to Merriam-Webster:
Damn, shots fired. Knowing the ways in which Apple fanboys-and-girls just repeat each other’s talking points, this won’t go over well. Obviously, Webster’s dictionary is living in the past, a time when headphone jacks existed and USB ports were a must-have on a laptop.
All kidding aside, I have to say that I switched to PC late last year after being an Apple fanboy for years and I’ve regretted the decision. Macs are still more convenient and more secure than Windows-based desktops. The gap has gotten smaller but a Mac still just works in a way that PCs don’t. What do you PC people have to say to that?!
@Tunrip @LauraMullan “Oh but apple products just work”
So does every other gadget you sheeple and for cheaper.
— Just call me puss™ (@hornblower72) April 25, 2017
Oh.
If the decision to throw a trolling example into the definition was Merriam-Webster’s attempt at grabbing attention it seems to have worked. But with Alex Jones getting a lot of press lately, the dictionary’s PR team seems to have missed out on a perfect opportunity.