Rename Toxicity

[Trotterdam]

Each stat in NationStates has two names, one which is used in the World Census, and one which is used in the Analysis page. Usually, these correspond in a logical manner, for example "Most Rebellious Youth" and "Youth Rebelliousness", or "Smartest Citizens" and "Intelligence". Several are less obvious, however, and one in particular is bugging me.

The stat now listed as "Toxicity" in fact started its life as "Most Avoided", and is described as "Nations ranked highly are considered by many to be the most inhospitable, charmless, and ghastly places to spend a vacation, or, indeed, any time at all.". However, because of its name on the Analysis page, a lot of people keep using it as though it means literally how much toxic chemical waste is polluting your country, and nothing else.

In fact, ruining your Environmental Beauty is one factor that causes you to become Avoided, but the latter stat also considers other factors that make your nation an unpleasant place to be, such as Rudeness.

While this is technically a correct usage of the word (English often uses "a toxic atmosphere" metaphorically to refer to a social atmosphere filled with resentment and distrust, rather than literal air pollution), too many players (particularly issue writers) keep misinterpreting the stat as referring specifically to chemical waste, and it is tiresome to keep correcting them.

As such, I ask that "Toxicity" be renamed to something more intuitive.

[The Blaatschapen]

Do you have one or more suggestions to what it should be renamed?

[Leppikania]

Do you have one or more suggestions to what it should be renamed?

I would go with "avoidance", although that might have a similar problem.

[Zocra]

Tense & Smog,
Abhorrent Qualities,
...

[[violet]]

Can do, but as Blaat says, proposal needs to include a superior alternative.

Not a fan of "Avoidance" since it implies the nation is the one doing the avoiding.

[Notre Roi]

How about "avoided", " most avoidable", or "least desirable"?

[Outer Sparta]

How about "avoided", " most avoidable", or "least desirable"?

It has those in the sub-heading, but I'd go with most ghastly.

[Luna Amore]

Most Repellent
Most Superabominable
Most Loathsome
Most Unfriendly
Least Welcoming

Nevermind, I'm looking at the wrong end of this.

[[violet]]

The new name shouldn't have the word "Most" in it. We're talking about replacing the category name of "Most Avoided," which is currently "Toxicity."

E.g. The category of "Most Devout" is "Religiousness." The category of "Most Subsidized Industry" is "Business Subsidization." The category of "Most Avoided" can't be "Most Avoided."

Similarly, the category name shouldn't suggest the opposite of what it measures, i.e. not "Attractiveness."

Some valid possibilities from the current description are Ghastliness, Inhospitality (Inhospitableness?), and Charmlessness.

[Leppikania]

The new name shouldn't have the word "Most" in it. We're talking about replacing the category name of "Most Avoided," which is currently "Toxicity."

E.g. The category of "Most Devout" is "Religiousness." The category of "Most Subsidized Industry" is "Business Subsidization." The category of "Most Avoided" can't be "Most Avoided."

Similarly, the category name shouldn't suggest the opposite of what it measures, i.e. not "Attractiveness."

Some valid possibilities from the current description are Ghastliness, Inhospitality (Inhospitableness?), and Charmlessness.

Isn't it "inhospitability"?

...or is it that?

[Morndul]

I had no idea "Most avoided" was renamed. I thought "Toxicity" was a completely different stat.

How about "inhospitality"?

EDIT: I didn't see it was already mentioned.

EDIT2: I suppose there's also "avoidability."

[Phydios]

I had no idea "Most avoided" was renamed. I thought "Toxicity" was a completely different stat.

How about "inhospitality"?

EDIT: I didn't see it was already mentioned.

EDIT2: I suppose there's also "avoidability."

The issue with "avoidability" is that it actually tells you how easy it to avoid something (compare with "portability"), not how likely it is to be avoided.

[v], you could do "nonappealingness", which is actually a word according to Google. Kind of clunky and fake-sounding, though.

[Trotterdam]

Do you have one or more suggestions to what it should be renamed?

Yeah, I guess "Avoidedness" doesn't sound very catchy.

Other attempts: "Awfulness", "Unpleasantness", "Bleakness", "Gloominess", "Wretchedness". None of those sound like they're hitting the nail on the head, but my thesaurus-fu is failing me.

The new name shouldn't have the word "Most" in it. We're talking about replacing the category name of "Most Avoided," which is currently "Toxicity."

While the Analysis names usually avoid using the word "Most", it does appear in "Most Pro-Market". (For some reason - I think just "Pro-Market" would be fine for that one.)

Inhospitality (Inhospitableness?)

Isn't it "inhospitability"?

Yeah, that sounds about like what we're looking for, shame about the awkward grammar. Is there any word that means the same thing but doesn't start with a negation?

Similar thoughts apply to "Unwelcomingness". I also thought of "Deterrance", but that could be confused for a positive stat (how effective your military is at deterring invasion).

EDIT2: I suppose there's also "avoidability."

Nah, that's how easy it is to avoid. There are places that you really want to avoid but you don't get a choice in the matter. And places that are very easy to bypass but why would you bother trying?

[v], you could do "nonappealingness", which is actually a word according to Google. Kind of clunky and fake-sounding, though.

"Appallingness"?

Funny how changing one letter can completely reverse the meaning.

[Morndul]

Similar thoughts apply to "Unwelcomingness".

This "word" was my first thought actually, but it seemed too clunky. "Unneighborly" and "uninvitingness" are similar also.

Nah, that's how easy it is to avoid. There are places that you really want to avoid but you don't get a choice in the matter. And places that are very easy to bypass but why would you bother trying?

The issue with "avoidability" is that it actually tells you how easy it to avoid something (compare with "portability"), not how likely it is to be avoided.

Sure, that's the literal definition. I guess that's out then.

"Appallingness"?

Repulsiveness?

[Phydios]

Repulsiveness?

I like this.

[Idzequitch]

Repulsiveness?

I like this.

I concur. Repulsiveness makes sense and is unambiguous.

[Sanctaria]

I rather like Bleakness actually.

[Enfaru]

Bleakness is a different thing and would probably be linked to "happiness" i.e how much hope do citizens have on the future or... how bleak is the landscape (environment). Rather than whether people most don't want to go somewhere.

Repulsivity (new word?) or Repulsiveness makes more sense in regards to the item of "Most avoided". Personally I'd go with Amagnatism.... Powell & Danby's Scale of Amagnatism?

Powell and Danby being pretty much the inventors of Maglev and using superconductive magnets to repel rather than attract. It would be really nice to find a woman associated with this, but alas women didn't exist before 1903 (Marie Curie wins the Nobel Peace Prize for Physics...).

[Minoa]

Just … Pollution?

[Phydios]

Just … Pollution?

...The whole point of this discussion is to find a word that communicates "this category is affected by more than environmental beauty". "Pollution" is actually more inaccurate than "Toxicity".

[Westyr]

Repellency sounds good.

[Leppikania]

Repellency sounds good.

Never mind that "repellence" would be better for that context.

[Enfaru]

or Repulse. As in to find something repulsive.

[The Confederacy of Nationalism]

The new name shouldn't have the word "Most" in it. We're talking about replacing the category name of "Most Avoided," which is currently "Toxicity."

E.g. The category of "Most Devout" is "Religiousness." The category of "Most Subsidized Industry" is "Business Subsidization." The category of "Most Avoided" can't be "Most Avoided."

Similarly, the category name shouldn't suggest the opposite of what it measures, i.e. not "Attractiveness."

Some valid possibilities from the current description are Ghastliness, Inhospitality (Inhospitableness?), and Charmlessness.

I'm a personal fan of "inhospitality", nothing else seems to fit quite right.

[Idzequitch]

Bleak according to the dictionary:

1: exposed and barren and often windswept
2: cold, raw
3a : lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness, grim
b : not hopeful or encouraging : depressing
c : severely simple or austere

Repulsive according to the dictionary:

1: serving or able to repulse
2: tending to repel or reject : cold, forbidding
3: arousing aversion or disgust

Based on the bolded definitions, either one of these words would be fitting, though I think bleakness rolls off the tongue better than repulsiveness does.