Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
H.L. Mencken used a fountain pen like a paintbrush and you can use one like a stiletto, and the fact that some dope somewhere uses one like a crowbar -- or misunderstands what he or she reads -- doesn't mean you stop writing.
It's hard to find the right language to discuss complex patterns of human behavior. That makes it more important to try, not essential to stop.
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I could not agree more. Sophomoric shorthand intended to simplify complex issues is an attempt to stop writing. It's an attempt to remove terms from the language and lump hundreds of unique concepts under soundbite friendly, catchy terms.
The letters of our alphabet can be organized into thousands of words that have discrete meanings. Twitterizing the language to blunt catch-alls works against the essential need to expand it.
