Grammar Moses: When Is Something ‘Offensive’ And When Is It ‘Anachronistic?’
•July 7, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer
Pardon my interruption of your birthday party, America, while I get philosophical.
“I’ve begun to find the word ‘offensive,’ well, offensive. It seems like so many things that are outdated are called ‘offensive’ unnecessarily,” wrote regular reader Bob Kopp.
“When I looked up the synonyms for ‘offensive’ I got more of a flavor of intentionality from them. Now I know I can be offensive, but it’s usually more about impulsivity than intent. I found a word new to me — ‘anachronistic.’ I like that word, although I don’t expect to see it in the newspaper five times a week.”
Bob cited a news story about an old plaque at Wheaton College about which some at the school objected.
It commemorated five young missionaries who died at the hands of “savage Indians” in 1956.
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