Posted 8:15 AM by Gene

Now would be a good time to talk of the hacks' use of the various forms of the first-person plural. It is more than justified in speaking of our commonalities: our country, our soldiers, our president; on the local level it's justified too: our mayor, our schools, and the sports teams too. Where the hacks seem most enthusiastic in using it is to obliterate differences in taste while pushing conformity, especially in show-biz matters. This is the good ol' USAOKAY!!!!! first-person plural. We loved Farrah Fawcett. We loved Michael Jackson. Maybe you did; maybe I didn't. (And the people "we" usually love most people couldn't care less about.) This is a variation of that hoary Our Town gag to get us thinking these high-earning effete show-biz-crazy snobs are just like us. No -- you're JUST LIKE YOU. Please respect our differences and try not to paper over them with your egregious use of the first-person plural.

Today it must be all over the place; I intend to find out as little as possible.

P. S. I've mentioned Our Town before in this sense, as though to denigrate it. Don't get me wrong; it's one of the most profound and moving plays ever written. But good things can always be put to bad uses.