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| Warren The Pedantic |
Over the last several months, we have spotted a new social trend that is highly annoying. It seems that whenever anyone is afforded a public forum—be they doctors, lawyers, reporters or political talking heads—they begin their response to a question in the following manner: "So, ....." For example, "So, Anderson, it turns out the two Marathon bombers were......" Or, "So, the rebels in Syria seem to be closing in on the Assad regime...." ARRRGGGH! This pedantic, condescending approach is enough to make you want to send the remote control right through the HD display! It's as if the speaker is somehow lecturing those of us in the 'great unwashed' who couldn't possibly possess their depth of understanding. I tried to trace back the precise moment in time when it all started. My earliest memory of being rubbed the wrong way by this phenomenon was a mere seven months ago—during the debates between then-U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Scott Brown and his then-challenger
Elizabeth Warren. Time and again, Warren would begin her answers with: "So, ....". Of course, she had a reason to be pedantic and annoying: she was a Harvard professor. Nevertheless, it came up in every debate. Condescension squared. She won the election. And the trend lives on. Thanks a lot, Elizabeth!
