Library of Congress subject headings, why are you so weird?

According to the LCSH, we should not use the term "Cheese antennas" but rather "Microwave pillboxes". Hee.

That clears things right up, doesn't it? Seriously, though, how many people in the history of the world have gone to a library catalog and looked up EITHER "cheese antennas" or "microwave pillboxes?" (Other than catalogers and people in cataloging classes who were like, "'Cheese antennas'? 'Microwave pillboxes'? The Hell?" And just so you know, it looks like Robert C. Hansen wrote the definitive work on cheese antennas microwave pillboxes back in 1964.)

In case you hadn't guessed, we're doing subject analysis this week (which, btw, I should properly call "Content analysis (Communication)," "Indexing," or "Subject cataloging"). I have been using the LCSH for two hours and I am already perplexed, amused, and annoyed.

Cheese antennas. Microwave pillboxes. Cheese antennas. Microwave pillboxes. Cheese antennas.

Oh, and "Women figure skaters." Well, where's "Men figure skaters", then? (Answer: I guess we just call them "Figure skaters.") That sort of thing is bad enough when you're talking about fields where women are rare, but it's just silly in figure skating, where there are as many world-class women as men, and vastly more women amateurs.