The real story of the names Granite and Terrazzo.

**Serpwidgets** · 05-01-08, 01:10 AM

As with diffusion this one has already grown its own fictional elements, some of them concerning events that only happened a few weeks ago. Maybe in 3 years it will go "Serp was fifty feet tall and slew two hundred flying sharks with his bare pinky toe, and then for a finale he decided what everyone else will call terrazzo."

So, what's the real story?

In 2005 a bunch of people on cornsnakes.com got together to decide amongst themselves what they were going to call "anery a bloodred" corns. There was a poll posted and over 50 people voted for "granite." The Name-The-Anery-A-Bloodred Thread - CornSnakes.com Forums

It's at this point where some critics will claim that those people lacked the expertise necessary to make such a decision. What expertise? Do you need to be an ice cream expert to decide to call a flavor rocky road? Do you need to have decades of expertise with lipstick to decide to call a color passion pink? From where does this requirement of expertise come? At what point is someone finally able to say "I want to call this kind of corn by this name?" The reality is that there is no such requirement, it's just a way to arouse an emotional reaction.

Anyway, that poll/thread was not what "decided" the name. It never is. Those people and others started using it, and within a year the name had caught on and was universally accepted. During that year the Cornsnake Morph Guide did not call them "granite" corns, so there is no way to blame the Cornsnake Morph Guide either.

A few months later, Kathy Love's book came out with a photo of a (now known as terrazzo) cornsnake labeled "granite." By the time that happened, the anery morph had already become strongly associated with the name by thousands of people. Since there wasn't a single specimen to be found for sale or in any photos on the internet, there was no realistic chance of the other corns becoming associated with the name granite, regardless of how long the snakes had been around or how long any of their owners had been in the corn snake trade.

I think this is important again to point out: a name is not decided by how long someone who "coins" it has been involved in the corn trade or who first used the name in private. I didn't make that rule, I simply observe that it's true in all languages, in all situations at all times. Language in general, including names, is decided by whether or not (and how) the masses choose to use them. If you want people to use a word you have to give them a reason/opportunity to do so. The people who kept the terrazzo corns a secret for however many years they existed had never even made an attempt to give anyone such a reason, opportunity, or choice. That is why nobody ever chose to call those snakes "granite" corns.

In 2007 at Tinley Park I was approached by Jeff Galewood who had some of these corns. He wanted to know why I named the other corns granites. I was unable to convince him at that time that I had not, but we both wanted to have an entry in this year's Cornsnake Morph Guide about his corns. When the time came around, he was trying to convince me to call them granites as if I was the one who named the other ones. I think he believed that if he could convince me then everyone else would change their usage. That same week another person, David, whom I haven't ever had any direct contact with, also emailed me out of the blue wanting to know why I didn't stop everyone from calling those other corns granites. (Stop them with my superhuman powers, no doubt.)

At this time was when I pointed Jeff to the actual thread, showing where David himself had posted in direct support of the name granite and voted for it along with 50+ other people. I also pointed Jeff to results from the search engines showing the universality of the term granite as it was being used by the masses of corn enthusiasts. I think it was then that he realized I didn't name them, nor did I have any control over what anyone called anything.

Since these stories always seem to follow the common theme of "serp magically controls and decides everything," I'm sure the legends will someday include stories about me using my superhuman powers to force Jeff to call them terrazzo. Maybe it was the jedi mind trick. Whatever the legends include, I personally think it's insulting to Jeff to assume that he didn't rationally come to the conclusion based on a realistic evaluation of how difficult/impossible it would be to single-handedly change so many peoples' minds.

It was quite obvious from any google or yahoo search that there would be thousands or tens of thousands of hearts and minds he would personally have to change, in order to get people to use granite for the morph he wanted them to. I simply pointed this fact out to Jeff and let him see for himself. It was at this time that he decided to seek an alternative. After a week or so of consideration, Jeff informed me that he had decided to go with terrazzo.

As usual, the real story probably isn't quite as exciting (or filled with superhuman feats) as the legends, which helps to explain why the legends will probably never go away. Joe Pierce first mentioned that he saw a for sale classified with an anery a blood as a granite, and Kat Hall months later posted that poll. I did not name anything granite or even vote for it in that poll, nor was the name "decided" by two or three people on an internet forum. Before that, the name granite had never been in common use, or in any use at all within the general public as far as describing the terrazzo pattern. The fact that thousands of hobbyists saw the name granite mentioned in that context, and liked it, and began using it themselves, was what "decided" the name.

FunkyRes · 05-01-08, 01:32 AM

Thank you for the clarification.

WhiteValleyHerp · 05-01-08, 11:32 AM

In 2000 years, The Iliad will finally be dismissed for the tripe that it is, and be usurped (getit? U-Serp'd? I kill me!) by The Terrazzo.

Let the oral tradition begin.

The question remains, Chuck - when are finally going to take responsibility for that whole Valerie Plame thing? And don't get me started on 9/11!

Dale

Scottsquatch · 05-01-08, 08:14 PM

Chuck, I would really rather be called Steve than Scott. Make it happen!

**Serpwidgets** · 05-01-08, 09:12 PM

LMAO!

Ok Scott, let me get the material components for my spell... just wait for the *poof* sound and you'll be all set.

**Carlos** · 05-01-08, 09:44 PM

Cool @ clearing stuff up.

Oh...

Carlos ------------->

Do it.

cka · 05-02-08, 12:34 PM

The fact that you still need material components for your spells shows you are still at a relatively low level of magic wielding proficiency and not able to affect such a large scale mass charm spell, as has been alluded to you and your powers of name swaying. HOW DARE YOU!!!

Jeez a guy puts a book or three out and jumps 15 levels. I mean, really...

Yours truly, Presti Digitator

Pixie · 07-21-08, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Carlos

Cool @ clearing stuff up.

Oh...

Carlos ------------->

Do it.

off topic, but what does that symbol mean?

**Hurley** · 07-21-08, 10:27 PM

That's the symbol once used as a name by Prince, the artist formerly known as a symbol, formerly formerly known as Prince.

Prince (musician) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**kitty** · 07-21-08, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Serpwidgets

... Since these stories always seem to follow the common theme of "serp magically controls and decides everything," ....

*blink-blink* You mean ..., are you saying ..., You're not The (note capitalization) Great and Powerful GuttattaGod, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Everlasting?

Dangit! My world is in tatters. Nothing will ever look the same. ... Say it ain't so, Serp!