Friday, October 15, 2010
Extremely extreme?
Professor Polistra doesn't go along with the "grammarians" who insist that certain words can't be compared.
They don't want us to say less perfect or very unique or more unprecedented.
Nonsense. Every quality or characteristic can be found in greater or lesser degree.
Still, some comparisons don't work.
This year the keyword extreme is, ahem, nearly universal in political ads. In most cases it's part of the phrase too extreme, as in "Tell Senator Pufnstuf that his risky tax-cutting scheme is just too extreme for Ohioans."
Practically speaking, this may be a losing accusation in a year when voters are wildly exhausted with all non-extreme actions, a year when voters are just a couple millimeters short of outright violence.
But semantically speaking, too extreme implies that the opposite is preferable. Well then, what is the desirable opposite of too extreme? Is Senator Pufnstuf's opponent proud to be slightly extreme? Moderately extreme? Sorta halfway extreme? Minimally extreme? Only an eentsy-weentsy bit extreme? Or like Mama Bear**, just extreme enough?
= = = = =
** Yes, Prof Polistra knows that Goldilocks is the usual metaphor for the just right item. But in fact Goldilocks was an arrogant burglar with enough chutzpah to judge and grade the furniture and food she found in the Bear residence, while she broke the furniture and ate the food. Most of the items that she callously graded just right were Mrs Bear's property. (In today's world, Goldilocks would call herself The Blonde Jackass and would be a Youtube sensation!) ¶ 7:08 AM
Professor Polistra doesn't go along with the "grammarians" who insist that certain words can't be compared.
They don't want us to say less perfect or very unique or more unprecedented.
Nonsense. Every quality or characteristic can be found in greater or lesser degree.
Still, some comparisons don't work.
This year the keyword extreme is, ahem, nearly universal in political ads. In most cases it's part of the phrase too extreme, as in "Tell Senator Pufnstuf that his risky tax-cutting scheme is just too extreme for Ohioans."
Practically speaking, this may be a losing accusation in a year when voters are wildly exhausted with all non-extreme actions, a year when voters are just a couple millimeters short of outright violence.
But semantically speaking, too extreme implies that the opposite is preferable. Well then, what is the desirable opposite of too extreme? Is Senator Pufnstuf's opponent proud to be slightly extreme? Moderately extreme? Sorta halfway extreme? Minimally extreme? Only an eentsy-weentsy bit extreme? Or like Mama Bear**, just extreme enough?
= = = = =
** Yes, Prof Polistra knows that Goldilocks is the usual metaphor for the just right item. But in fact Goldilocks was an arrogant burglar with enough chutzpah to judge and grade the furniture and food she found in the Bear residence, while she broke the furniture and ate the food. Most of the items that she callously graded just right were Mrs Bear's property. (In today's world, Goldilocks would call herself The Blonde Jackass and would be a Youtube sensation!) ¶ 7:08 AM
