Dumbing It Down

[Edward Teach]

At the risk of garnering disfavor by saying this, I will venture to make a remark that the initial question by the OP begs.

I consider the whole question as posed to be a right piece of presumption. The implication behind the entire question is that only dumb people like those other than yourself could conceivably tell you how to dumb down your 'article.'

Does it not occur to anyone besides myself that the whole question is an insult to the intelligence of those who post here?

I find it disgusting.

Funny, I didn't get the impression that Zoot was talking down to me at all. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to get it. Thanks for enlightening me.

 

[WRJames]

There were some boxes sitting around my basement that had not been opened since we moved here (now thirty years ago, but at that time maybe only half that). I looked in one, and discovered that it had some of my papers from college. My wife and I were howling at how pretentious the style was -- and these were papers that had received high grades at the time.

If I had ever dared to write like that during my business career, no one would have understood me. The only thing that saved me was my first, abortive attempt at a career as a novelist, which at least broke me of the habit of writing for academics.

At the time, we were getting a magazine called the American Scholar. We finally gave up on it, partly because the writing was so impenetrable.

We have seen a major shift in how we write over the last fifty years or so. Shorter sentences, less elaborate vocabulary, more emphasis on getting a thought across. Which is not to say that Dr Mab's original effort was excessively didactic.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Nah, you understood his question just fine, we're just objecting to his characterization of 'toned down to make it more appealing and understandable' as "dumbing down."

The term, "dumb it down" is my editor's. Not my own.

What a nasty little place this has become.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The term, "dumb it down" is my editor's. Not my own.

What a nasty little place this has become.

Elliott, its always been a nasty little place. The tide has changed direction is all.

Alan Le May wrote a terrific story about stampeding cattle. You dont stand in front of them, you ride beside them and direct them into canyons.

 

[Liar]

The term, "dumb it down" is my editor's. Not my own.

What a nasty little place this has become.

Doc, your only two reactions, after two pages of mostly on-topic, respectful and constructive comments and advice are:

How very fucking despressing.
and
What a nasty little place this has become.

...because some poster intepreted the tone of your first post in a way you didn't intend. (and many others defended you, I might add)


I gotta ask: What the hell do you want?

 

[Weird Harold]

The term, "dumb it down" is my editor's. Not my own.

What a nasty little place this has become.

Not according to your original first post.

'toned down to make it more appealing and understandable' is in quotes because it was C&P from your first post's representation of your editor's request.

 

[sr71plt]

So, every time someone doesn't get petted enough to suit them are we going to get the "this isn't the good old days" mantra again?