IT’S not that hard to get into the Urban Dictionary.
This was what communications people found out after the controversy over its definition of “duterte,” apparently taken from the last name of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Urban Dictionary said “duterte” meant the following:
As verb: to scam, trick, con, or use unscrupulous means to an end; to betray.
As adjective: deceptive, sly, fake, corrupt, crooked; treacherous; of low quality.
As noun: a scam, sham, or rip-off; a traitor.
Malacañang, of course, got upset and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo quickly branded the Urban Dictionary definition as “false news.” Panelo came up with his own definition of “duterte” saying that, if the word referred to President Duterte, it should mean “honest, incorruptible, politically-willed person, courageous, selfless, honest, transparent, and all good things that come.”
Panelo then belittled Urban Dictionary and said, “Urban Dictionary? Sino bang may gawa noon? (Who did that?)”
So, what is Urban Dictionary? It’s a popular website that comes out high in the search results when you look for a word or phrase. Its website at Urbandictionary.com warns that it is not suitable for all audiences as its content is “frequently presented in a coarse and direct manner that some may find offensive.” It said the dictionary is served “as is” and “as available.” In other words, it’s up to the reader to use it or not.
One gets into Urban Dictionary when his or her name and a definition are submitted for inclusion. It is a crowdsourced dictionary, meaning anyone can put forward a word. The website rejects inside jokes and definitions naming non-celebrities. Once posted, anyone can add background information.
Although the first definition of “duterte” was still on the website as of Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, new definitions have been added, including this:
v. To do something and to do it right, to finish projects without any form of mischief.
n. Embodiment of a politician who shies away from traditional politics.
n. An honest politician who hates corruption.
n. A pro-poor politician.
Sentence examples: Wow! The airport is finished! Na-duterte tayo! That politician is like a Duterte. He loves the masses.
One limitation of Urban Dictionary is that, while its editors can remove a word or definition, it cannot review all content published to the website or created by users accessing the website.
If you find your name in this dictionary, you might as well use it to your benefit. If you disagree with the definition, let its editors know. You can come up with our own definition, like the one who posted an additional meaning to “duterte.”
On the basis of that, Urban Dictionary cannot be an authoritative and authentic resource. A crowdsourced website (Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia are examples) will always carry the risk of presenting data that is not verified or true. Using its content in school papers or official documents makes one look stupid.