We the word snobs who point out that, for the love of god, it’s ‘80s not 80’s in every comment box we come upon are as unpopular as grade-school snitches. Why fight it? Why not just hand over the lunch money their wanting alot from us? Well all get along better neways.

The panel table was spot lit and a row of microphones were in place, looking very official. The hour the event was to begin came, and then went. The door opened, and all eyes turned to it, hoping to see the audience stream in. Then, shoulders sagged in unison when a lone person appeared, a friend of the bartender, wondering what he had done to disappoint.

I don’t necessarily agree with Fry that language is not evolving. As a professor in a Department of English, I get to watch its evolution every day. My students use words very differently than I do. They use nouns as verbs, negatives as positives, cultural references as common knowledge.

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There are a couple of characteristics of funny fiction. Rules of behavior are often being broken (the merely embarrassing and rude as well as the lewd and scandalous). Things that aren’t usually talked about comfortably (or taboos) are tricky because we all have different taboos. More specifically, we have different limits to which we can be pushed and made to feel uncomfortable. I suppose this can account for what is often called “taste.” Stories don’t need to shock to be entertaining, but laughs are often born from discomfort as a kind of release.