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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!mcnc!unc!fsks
From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.social
Subject: Re: An SO is . . ..
Message-ID: <82@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 19-Jan-85 17:39:24 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.82
Posted: Sat Jan 19 17:39:24 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 04:53:45 EST
References: 
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 22
Summary: 

In article  diego@cca.UUCP (Diego Gonzalez) writes (I edited
it down):
>
>An "SO", as used in this network, stands for "significant other."
>I know this only because a fellow I worked with a while back used
>to refer to his sweetheart by the latter term.  While it gives a
>definite neutrality to expression, I personally find it lacks warmth
>(both SO and significant other).
>
>When you think about the words themselves, it seems that they are
>actually an avoidance.  And usually, we're not quite ready to discuss
>or introduce a person as a lover (although, in its broadest sense, it is
>probably the most accurate).  Thus, people are reduced to usages that
>could refer to pets, plants, robots, or even cars.
>

I agree.  Many people in our lives are significant others, e.g. our
friends, teachers, parents, children, etc.  Some netters have jokingly
declared that SO stands for "Sex Object".  I think this is actually
the more accurate interpretation.  When you think about it, what else
differentiates your SO from all the other important people in your life?