Of "Brain Rot" and "Dynamic Pricing"

The Oxford University Press - arguably the most prestigious observer and documenter of the English language - has announced its "Word of the Year" each year since 2004. The chosen word for this year, marking the 20th anniversary of the designation, was brain rot*, defined as

“the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”

Given the bubbling cesspool of of Fox News, X (formerly Twitter), and the rest of the right-wing hysteriosphere ... not to mention TikTok, Instagram, and the like, I'm not surprised. The OUP citation goes on to inform us that

"[the term refers] to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society."

One notices the truth of this observation in the results of the recent presidential election.

I also noted that one of the shortlisted alternate WOTY suggestions was dynamic pricing,** defined as 

"The practice of varying the price for a product or service to reflect changing market conditions; in particular, the charging of a higher price at a time of greater demand."

Dynamic Pricing is more polite, less pejorative term for what we used to call price gouging. It does not reflect increased value for the amount charged, but the maximization of profit at the expense of the consumer ... which is, of course, the whole point of an unrestricted capitalist system. After all, when was the last time you saw a price go down as a result of dynamic pricing, eh? Insult is added to injury, of course, when dynamic pricing is combined with shrinkflation to result in higher prices for less product ... with the blame falling on inflation ... the convenient bugbear for whom no one is ever responsible.

If you voted for cheaper eggs last November, well, good luck with that. I think you're going to get a hard lesson in dynamic pricing on top of your brain rot.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when Great Moments in Editing and Signage returns for a new month.

Bilbo

* Yes, it's two words ... but who am I to argue with the Oxford University Press?

** Yes, yes, again it's two words ... inflation hits language, too.

The Gettysburg Address as Delivered by Der Furor

Last week we observed the anniversary of the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, and the memory of the brief, but powerful speech President Abraham Lincoln delivered at the dedication of the military cemetery after the battle ... his "Gettysburg Address" remains one of the most moving speeches ever delivered by an American president. Sadly, the quality of political oration has been greatly reduced since Mr Lincoln's time, leading Washington Post columnist Peter Marks to comment that “... if you’ve ever listened to some of the desultory rhetoric from the well of the Senate, you know that American politics has not exactly built an assembly line of Ciceros.”

All of which has led me to wonder how a speech in the style of the Gettysburg Address might have been delivered by one of the most cringe-worthy presidents and worst public speakers of our time, Der Furor ...

"Seventy-six years ago, my father brought forth your favorite president - me! - because only I can make America great again. Now the radical left Democrats have started a great culture war, testing whether my MAGA followers, our religious freedom, or our beloved Second Amendment, can survive much longer. My followers have come out to listen to my huge and unmatched wisdom. They have come to boost my ego and swell my bank accounts as I fleece the nation. It's the right thing for you to do, but you must do even more if you want to help save America. The brave patriots who stormed the Capitol have given you an example far above my great powers of intelligence and persuasion, as hard as that may be to believe. The world will forever remember what I say here, and it should, because I have the best words. But you need to keep up the unfinished work our Republican senators and representatives and judges and office holders have started, because you're very special, and we love you. You have to make sure that the heroes of January 6th - who were punished by the disgraceful Democrats for nothing more than peacefully protesting a stolen election - don't serve their prison terms in vain, that this nation - under me, of course - shall continue to stack the Supreme Court and pass laws which ensure that the white Christian right remains supreme, that we keep the freedom to carry whatever guns we want, and that government of the corporate donors, by the corporate donors, and for the corporate donors, shall not perish from Washington. Don't forget to donate to my PAC on your way out."

It's satire, of course ... but not all that far from the truth.

Have a good day. Vote in November like your country depended on it ... because it does.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo