this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago (2 children)

JK Rowling’s pen name is a reference to Robert Galbraith Heath, a psychiatrist who experimented with gay conversion therapy in the 60s and 70s using surgically implanted electrodes on gay men’s brains.

Unless thats some conservative dog whistle I don't know about, (and I'm no JKR apologist) your statement directly contradicts her own official answer as to the origin of the name:

Why the name Robert Galbraith?

I chose Robert because it’s one of my favourite men’s names, because Robert F Kennedy
 is my hero and because, mercifully, I hadn’t used it for any of the characters in the
 Potter series or The Casual Vacancy.

Galbraith came about for a slightly odd reason. When I was a child,
 I really wanted to be called ‘Ella Galbraith’, and I’ve no idea why.
 I don’t even know how I knew that the surname existed, because
 I can’t remember ever meeting anyone with it. Be that as it may,
 the name had a fascination for me. I actually considered calling
 myself L A Galbraith for the Strike series, but for fairly obvious 
reasons decided that initials were a bad idea.

Odder still, there was a well-known economist called 
J K Galbraith, something I only remembered by the time it was
 far too late. I was completely paranoid that people might take 
this as a clue and land at my real identity, but thankfully nobody
 was looking that deeply at the author’s name.

source

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 11 months ago

and of course Rowling denies her pen name has anything to do with him.

[–] NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What’s wrong with LAG other than computer lag?

[–] SomeoneElseMod@feddit.uk 4 points 11 months ago

It’s British slang for a convict or prison term. It’s not very common now, but “old lag” used to mean a habitual criminal. No idea of the etymology though - maybe related to a lag (in time)?