Even Curmudgeons Are Right Sometimes

against thoughtlessness

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Now that nothing’s good but must be “AWESOME!”
And “happy” cannot stand without “so very,”
No mere excellence will satisfy us,
And if it’s not “INCREDIBLE!” it’s “scary.”
De gustibus non disputandem est
Makes sense no more–we all must think alike;
A tyranny of vagueness makes us dullards–
A real opinion is unsportsmanlike.
Precision once had value; words had meaning,
With modifiers chosen with great care.
Now we make do with “sad,” “cool” and “amazing.”
Bill Buckley would be met now with blank stares.
Such flattening of language flattens thought;
Conversely, precise language keeps minds taut.

Thus spake Curmudgeon.