Here and there

A lovely collection of year-end thoughts by John Derbyshire, including comments on punctutation, gay marriage, illegal immigration, and the power of words. Thoroughly good stuff.

After I wrote this post last week on the rising tide of bad language, I noticed that John McWhorter wrote this logical but depressing article for the Washington Post. I hate to admit it, but he is probably right in saying: to resist using a particular vulgarity on television stands not as a conviction inherent to our national fabric, but as an emotional sentiment brandished by a minority. Rob and Laura's quaintness in our eyes reveals that the counterculture has become our warp and woof. We seek as narrow a gulf as possible between public show and private reality. To us, the sentiment Bono expressed with his "f -- -- ing brilliant" channels an individuality, humility and even warmth that no formal translation such as "truly amazing" could. It channels exactly the "get real" essence that makes it seem odd to us that when Laura is carrying Richie she must be referred to as "expecting" because of a sense that "pregnant" is too vulgar.

This "get real" mentality reminds me of my courtesy and civility post way back in November. The more "authentic" we get, the uglier and courser our language and behavior becomes.

So it's "Florence" and not "Dotty?" What difference does it really matter? Clearly Princess Anne is one of the most derelict dog owners around, raising not one but two bull terriers that attack children and other dogs.

And a nice post by Enoch Soames on the British writer George Gissing, who died December 28th, 1903, 100 years ago this past Sunday. Russell Kirk called Gissing a natural Tory.

Which brings me, finally, to this article from the latest issue of Smithsonian, about the descendents of American Loyalists now in Canada. They still don the British garb, celebrate George III's birthday, and look with suspicion at the U.S. Said one, Loyalists still view the United States as a dysfunctional family we just had to leave. Ouch.