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degrading

English translation: Degenerating

07:18 Jun 30, 2011
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics
English term or phrase: degrading
Hello everyone,

The high level of poverty, unemployment and corruption as well as
degrading social safety net services in the country,
which remains predominantly agrarian, were one of
major reasons why large groups of people, protested

Does 'degrading' mean that social safety net services are becoming worse and worse (degenerate) or that they are humiliating?

Thank you.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 14:38
Selected answer:Degenerating
Explanation:
It really looks like it means degenerating in this case - so the social fabric and safety nets are unravelling and people feel unsafe so are protesting.
Selected response from:

Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
United Kingdom
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Liz.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4Degenerating
Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
4 +1humiliating
Tony M


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Degenerating


Explanation:
It really looks like it means degenerating in this case - so the social fabric and safety nets are unravelling and people feel unsafe so are protesting.

Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
United Kingdom
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Liz.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I don't think this is the most common usage in EN, and I certainly don't see anything in the context given to lead to this interpretation.
15 mins
agree  Mark Nathan: that is how I read it - but it is ambiguous.
51 mins
  -> Thank you - it is ambiguous but the mention of safety net services suggested it to me
agree  B D Finch: Yes, degrading here has the sense of the quality being lowered/degraded. I don't think it is ambiguous at all.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Ildiko Santana: That's how I read it; in other words, deteriorating / declining / downgrading...
6 hrs
  -> thank you!
agree  Thuy-PTT (X)
13 days
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
humiliating


Explanation:
'degrading' doesn't usually mean 'deteriorating' in EN, and if it is used in this way, is more often used either as a verb, or epithet.

It seems to me that they are saying that what little 'safety net' services there are require people to go through humiliating processes to obtain — things like means testing, or aggressive interviewing, or queueing for hours / days in the rain... etc.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 minutes (2011-06-30 07:38:32 GMT)
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Depending on the context, of course... and you may be able to get a clue from the country this is referring to. Should at least give you an avenue for further research...

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kmtext: Based on my one experience of being out of work in over 20 years, I'd say it was definitely humiliating to be interrogated by some barely-literate numpty with an axe to grind.
51 mins
  -> Thanks, KMT! Hear, hear... and at all levels and in all countries, sadly :-(
disagree  B D Finch: I am sure that the services have become more humiliating for their clients, but that is a consequence of the quality of service being degraded, not what "degrading" means here.
2 hrs
  -> I'm not sure we have enough information to be categoric about this — though now we know the non-native provenance of this text, that certainly could support the 'in the process of degradation' reading; I'm unconvinced, tho' only the author could resolve.
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): It can indeed by humiliating to be interviewed and asked embarrassing questions by people who, of course, are not poor and unemployed themselves. But the context is ambiguous.
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina! I agree that, now we know it is a non-native writer, the ambiguity is greater.
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