Posted on 08/14/2006 10:01:15 AM PDT by EveningStar
People are always writing books about the fall of great civilizations. The historians point to various things as indicators that a bad end was inevitable. Everything from over-extension of the military to corrupt politicians to all-male bathhouses have been credited with bringing on the collapse of various powerhouses. In the case of America, I think our decline began with the rise of the euphemism...
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
LOL! Great column. I read it earlier.
misc ping
Great call on "bums." That's what my father called dirty street people. And we always avoided them - no conversation, no loose change.
Remember the saying, "Get a job, you bum."? Can't say that anymore.
Doesn't Prelutsky have any sensitivity?
No? Good.
Two items nailed. The absurdity of calling the retarded "special", and the mentality level of Jerry Lewis movies.
Common sense! What a concept!
--Confuscious
He missed two beauts: Problems are now issues; "you're welcome" was replaced years ago by "no problem."
Otherwise, a super column on the weakness of our language habits.
The heck I can't...I say it all the time to those idiots that panhandle on the street corners. I also complain to stores about the ones that panhandle in their parking lots.
"the Special Comedian"
That is another reason to fight against and refuse to use the PC version of words. It's useless!
'Special' was used because people would use 'retarded' in a pejorative way. Well, guess what, there isn't a reader on FR or in the U.S. that will miss the meaning of your post.
Homosexuals didn't like being called 'Homos', so now we have "That's so gay!" instead.
Useless.
I'm not touching this Tar Baby.
Don't be niggardly in your affections.
I've been saying for years that we owe the PC types and Black leftists a debt of linguistic gratitude.
So many priceless racial slurs would have otherwise been long forgotten.
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