Tuesday, June 03, 2003
A truly modest proposal
I'm retiring the words "the rich" and "the poor". Like all cliches they have become substitutes for, and obstacles to, fresh thought. They are commonly used by people whose minds are running in a dependency rut. Also, they are often ineffective as used because "poor" is always pejorative and "rich" is never really pejorative. Who wants to be "poor"? Who doesn't want to be "rich"? Which one do you want to be identified with? Try replacing "rich" and "poor" with "immodest" and "modest". Who wants to be "immodest"? Who doesn't want to be "modest"? Try "immodest income"and "modest income"; "immodest resources" and "modest resources", and in short, "the immodest" and "the modest."
I'm retiring the words "the rich" and "the poor". Like all cliches they have become substitutes for, and obstacles to, fresh thought. They are commonly used by people whose minds are running in a dependency rut. Also, they are often ineffective as used because "poor" is always pejorative and "rich" is never really pejorative. Who wants to be "poor"? Who doesn't want to be "rich"? Which one do you want to be identified with? Try replacing "rich" and "poor" with "immodest" and "modest". Who wants to be "immodest"? Who doesn't want to be "modest"? Try "immodest income"and "modest income"; "immodest resources" and "modest resources", and in short, "the immodest" and "the modest."
