When Time magazine named their 2007 Person of the Year, we were in for a big surprise. When the announcement finally came, it was “You,” as in “us.” The support argument was that since ordinary people had become so pivotal in public communication--through blogging, Youtube, reality television--and the Person of the Year must have some great impact on American society, it would be foolish not to recognize the everyday person. That Person of the Year cover even had a framed reflective surface to simulate looking in a mirror. The opposing argument was that Time had copped out and pandered to readers rather than making a difficult, politically-charged choice. I disagree. For the good or the ill, average people are more of a public presence now and that presence does have a great impact. Besides, “you” is one of my favorite “y” words. Think about it. If there was no “y,” some of the most crucial things we say--I love you, I f
orgive you, I need you--wouldn’t be possible. No, Time magazine made the right call and so did those folks who put the English alphabet together. Now that I’m thinking of it, lots of “y” words play a central role in my world--the catharsis of “yell,” the scrumptious of “yogurt,” the celebration of “yippee,” the brightness of “yellow.” When Alice K. Flanagan wrote Yum! The Sound of Y, she picked other nicely representative “y” words. There are yucky messes, and, of course, a yak. Did she get it right? Yes!http://www.amazon.com/gp/product
http://www.jacketflap.com/persondetail.asp?person=4901
No comments:
Post a Comment