A mortimer is a person who talks too much in technical language and looks down on those who don’t understand. The term comes from a ventriloquist’s dummy named Mortimer Snerd. It is undesirable to be a mortimer as it discriminates against new users. However, helpful people exist to break down complex terms and acronyms for better understanding.
A mortimer is someone you may not want to meet on the internet, particularly if you are a beginner. The name comes from a ventriloquist doll or puppet called Mortimer Snerd that was made famous by the ventriloquist and vocal artist, Edgar John Bergren. Bergren’s character was the opposite of how a mortimer would be defined today, since he was not very intelligent. The character was also briefly featured in a 1939 comic strip written and drawn by Bergren called Mortimer & Charlie.
The key connection between the ventriloquist’s dummy and the modern definition is that they both talk too much. Yet the modern type is intelligent, just not a great communicator. The mannequin’s surname “snerd” referred to the union of the words haughty and nerd. Today this translates into a person who is really “up” on “in the know” in technical terms, but looks down on any person who isn’t.
In the modern context, in relation to the Internet, the term has gained popularity among fans and contributors to the Internet, radio and television broadcast called NetTalkLive!. A person labeled a mortimer would talk incessantly in geeky, technical, or nerdy language, or not “mute” his or her language to those less technically inclined. In effect he or she would use such language as something of a secret code, capable of being decoded only by other technically inclined people. Being a mortimer is undesirable, since you’re only playing to an audience that already knows what you’re talking about.
The snooty part comes because such language deliberately discriminates against people trying to understand new technological developments. Even the term “newbie” has some mortimer-like connotations, and some people have little patience with new Internet users, especially if they ask questions that can be found with a little digging. For example, you should read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) carefully when joining any type of Internet group to make sure your question hasn’t already been asked and answered. Asking a question that’s answered on an FAQ is likely to evoke nasty comments from mortimers.
Luckily, the world isn’t just made up of mortimer types. If it were, new Internet users or those simply interested in a variety of gadgets or new technologies would never understand anything, as no one would answer their questions. Instead, many helpful people who lend a hand to people new to a technology and break down complex terms, acronyms or abbreviations into real people are talking, giving us all a good chance of understanding them.
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