Vaccinations
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From the August 11 New Yorker, a new theory about the etiology of prescriptivism. Also time-management and singing…
There's been less prescriptivism in the New Yorker recently — maybe the mumps vaccines are wearing off? Still, Reuven Perlman must have gotten his dose five years ago or so..
wgj said,
August 6, 2025 @ 2:35 am
If antivaxers build a theory of everything around vaccines, that would almost come full circle to the (emerging) scientific consensus on microbioms impacting every aspect of our biology. Because once everything is traced back to vaccines, they would need to start explaining why people who's never received any vaccine (or any modern medicine) would also display traits like singing. And the answer would be that vaccines have been permeated throughout the planetary biosphere through a vast conspiracy (what else), so that everyone absorb them whether they know it or not. And that – minus the conspiracy part – would come pretty close to the microbiom theory-of-everything.
Robot Therapist said,
August 6, 2025 @ 3:01 am
I caught a bout of prescriptivism at age 10, from a book called "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage" (the 1965 version, which had not long come out).
Viseguy said,
August 6, 2025 @ 3:01 am
The latest peeve-piece from Prof. Liberman's favorite columnist (who is no doubt fully vaccinated): https://wapo.st/40P8n70.
Richard Hershberger said,
August 6, 2025 @ 4:51 am
The George Will piece Viseguy links to is remarkably silly, even by the standards of the genre. My favorite bit: 'Shakespeare used 28,827 different words without resorting to “vibe.”' Um… Okey dokey, George…
Jonathan Smith said,
August 6, 2025 @ 5:56 pm
Not to peeve but in the comic pretty sure GenZese should be "search it *up* on Vaxguy"