Thought of the Day 06.03.10

“That guy sure is a throwback.” “No, he’s a relic.”
“My ideas are traditional.” “No, they’re unevolved.”
“That design is classic.” “No, it’s old-fashioned.”
“My viewpoint is historical.” “No, it’s primitive.”
“This is the ancient way of doing things.” “No, it’s the barbaric way of doing them.”
“That shirt is retro.” “No, it’s just dated.”

Notice that in each of these pairings, there is no disagreement about the fact that something is old. The dispute is whether age is a virtue or a defect.

The reason I bring this up is because in using language, we almost unconsciously manipulate it to reinforce our point, which can be problematic. Age, for instance, doesn’t mean anything. But if it’s something we like for other reasons we call it good oldness, whereas if it’s something we dislike for other reasons we call it bad oldness. Instead, we might do well to simply say something is old, or some even more neutral term. That way we can have a discussion shaped by neutral facts rather than by adjectival bias.