Front Porch: There’s more to these stories

Two recent columns require a postscript.

The first, my end-of-the-year annual look at the words of the year, as selected by various dictionaries and which offer a good commentary on what’s going on in society. The second, a few more words about being “truly aged” – you know, in your 80s.

The trouble with the word nerd tribute at the end of December is that it omits the word of the year selected by the American Dialect Society, the 134-year-old organization of linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, scholars and others, which presents its word of the previous year at its annual meeting in January – so they miss making it into print in The Spokesman-Review in December.

Because the ADS has the longest-running word-of-the-year tradition and is not tied to commercial interests, it’s worth the postscript, even if this year’s word contains a syllable not normally used in polite company.

The American Dialect Society’s word of the year for 2023 is enshittification.

The word became popular when Canadian-British blogger and author Cory Doctorow used it to describe the deterioration of digital platforms, describing how they are “good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.”

Ben Zimmer, chair of the ADS New Words Committee and language columnist for the Wall Street Journal, said the word is “a sadly apt term for how our online lives have become gradually degraded” and is “instantly memorable and adaptable to a variety of contexts.”

I am neither a blogger nor much of a social media user, so I can’t speak from personal experience, but from what I read about the online world, it seems like an apt choice indeed.

As a side note, also earlier this month, the American Name Society, a scholarly organization founded in 1951 promoting the study of onomastics, selected Gaza and Barbie as joint winners of the 2023 name of the year.

In its news release it noted how the pairing of these names “neatly captures the dichotomy of 2023: the reality of Gaza, the tragedy of another war in the Middle East, and the escapism of Barbie, a comedy movie about a classic toy that imagines a doll embracing feminism.”

As for the column about people in their 80s who might be feeling a little undervalued or dismissed, I’ve received some enthusiastic responses. I wrote the piece – a little bit tongue-in-cheek – because of a comment my husband heard about people 80 years old and over as being “truly aged.” That apparently means him.

One woman wrote that she’d just finished playing bridge with three friends, all in their 80s and 90s and all who feel strongly on the subject. “Keep on truckin’ is my motto,” she said.

Most recognized that old age often brings challenges in health and mobility, but that “truly aged” is more a state of mind. They’re not happy about the caricature of the bent-over lady with a net over her white-haired bun gathered at her neckline, sitting in a rocker in the attic.

I loved what another woman in her 80s, who acknowledged that she is fortunate enough to be financially comfortable, wrote to me. Even though her knees give her grief, she works out three times a week, enjoys cooking and doing things with friends, and travels. She visited Antarctica on an expedition ship last year and is about to head off for Vietnam.

“I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life in spite of the fact that I live alone,” she said.

A local friend of mine shared with me a line, which I’ve stolen and used myself – “I’m just happy to still be able to walk across the Rosauers’ parking lot and go shopping.”

The scope of the goals are different, but the idea is the same – get out there and do it. Still wanting to and still doing whatever-it-is keeps “truly aged” at bay. Despite the number of years lived.

Voices correspondent Stefanie Pettit can be reached by email at upwindsailor@comcast.net.