Things that make me go huh?

[gwyn]

Why do people always lowercase the h in human, but uppercase the C in Cylon? I would like to start a campaign to stamp out the indiscriminate title-casing of selective species. When I realized this discrepancy, I started lowercasing the c, but people like to gently "correct" me in posts. Cylon is neither a product/brand name nor an organization (Firefly-class ship, Nexus 6 replicant, the Alliance, the Mounties, Browncoats), nor a nationality/continental/planetary identity (Canadian, African, Bajoran, Betelgeusian, Vulcan), nor a religious identification (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) though admittedly, it could become that eventually. It's a classification no different than human in the series, yet across fandom, people treat it as more significant by uppercasing the c.

Comments

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

I don't know if they have ever made it clear where the name came from. Cylons were originally manufactured so it could be the original brand name but, then again, they could just be the product. Are they Kleenex or tissue?

And what's the default? If you aren't sure and there isn't an authority to refer to which do you choose? I would imagine it would not be a proper name until you can prove it's a proper name.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It could very well have begun as a product name, but now that its come to mean a race (of human clones and robots, both), I vote for lowercasing. I should start the Intergalactic Press Style Book and Libel Manual.

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Clearly, there is a need. And clearly you are the one to fill it.

You should get an agent.

I am only half kidding here.