Editing 2249: I Love the 20s
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Prior to 2000, and particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, eras were often defined by decades, such as discussing the social movements of the 60s, or the music of the 80s. Beginning in 2000, this trend was noticeably reduced, most likely because the first two decades of a century didn't fit into the same naming convention, making it clunkier to discuss. "{{w|Aughts}}" and "Teens" were names suggested for the {{w|2000s_(decade)|2000s}} and {{w|2010s}} respectively; however, neither of those names managed to gain widespread acceptance. | Prior to 2000, and particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, eras were often defined by decades, such as discussing the social movements of the 60s, or the music of the 80s. Beginning in 2000, this trend was noticeably reduced, most likely because the first two decades of a century didn't fit into the same naming convention, making it clunkier to discuss. "{{w|Aughts}}" and "Teens" were names suggested for the {{w|2000s_(decade)|2000s}} and {{w|2010s}} respectively; however, neither of those names managed to gain widespread acceptance. | ||
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In this same era, there was an increased emphasis on generational cohorts, which Ponytail seems to see as a replacement for dividing time into decades. {{w|Millennials}} is a name given to the generation which was born in the 1980s through the mid 1990s. The term is sometimes used pejoratively by older generations who view millennials as immature or complacent, and this was particularly common in the 2010s. It's possible that this focus on the generation was really a substitute for a focus on youth culture of that era. This is particularly notable since, as time moves on, Millenials continue to age, but the older generation still views them as the current youth. This phenomenon was previously discussed in [[1849: Decades]]. | In this same era, there was an increased emphasis on generational cohorts, which Ponytail seems to see as a replacement for dividing time into decades. {{w|Millennials}} is a name given to the generation which was born in the 1980s through the mid 1990s. The term is sometimes used pejoratively by older generations who view millennials as immature or complacent, and this was particularly common in the 2010s. It's possible that this focus on the generation was really a substitute for a focus on youth culture of that era. This is particularly notable since, as time moves on, Millenials continue to age, but the older generation still views them as the current youth. This phenomenon was previously discussed in [[1849: Decades]]. | ||
White Hat, however, raises a pedantic objection to Ponytail's celebration: he believes that the new decade does not "officially" start until 2021. | White Hat, however, raises a pedantic objection to Ponytail's celebration: he believes that the new decade does not "officially" start until 2021. | ||
| − | Ponytail corrects him on this, but he refuses to accept the correction until Megan cites an unlikely source: the fact that the {{w|VH1}} television show {{w|I Love the '90s (American TV series)|''I Love the '90s''}} | + | Ponytail corrects him on this, but he refuses to accept the correction until Megan cites an unlikely source: the fact that the {{w|VH1}} television show {{w|I Love the '90s (American TV series)|''I Love the '90s''}} showcased songs released in 1990. |
| − | The disagreement over the definition of when decades start is due to the fact that there is more than one way to count decades. | + | The disagreement over the definition of when decades start is due to the fact that there is more than one way to count decades. White Hat appears to be using ordinal counting, counting the number of decades since the first one. Since the Gregorian calendar doesn't include a year 0, the first decade began in the year 1, so the 202nd decade begins in 2021. Ponytail appears to use cardinal counting, taking the digit common to all years in a ten-year span. |
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| − | White Hat's | + | White Hat's objection (probably deliberately) recalls an issue that was frequently discussed around the year 2000. Because we ''do'' typically count centuries ordinally, the first century began on year 1, and the 21st century technically started in 2001. Much of the world, not understanding this (or not caring), celebrated the dawning of the year 2000 as the start of both a new century and a new millennium, ignoring those who point out the change wouldn't happen for another year. |
| − | Neither definition is technically wrong, but Ponytail's definition is | + | Neither definition is technically wrong, but Ponytail's definition is by far the more common one. She notes that decades are named, and typically defined, by their first digit, and the fact that we count centuries in an ordinal way does not require that we do the same with decades. |
| − | + | Megan's argument may sound strange, as it invokes a moderately known show that aired on a middling cable channel 15 years prior. But establishing "proper" definitions by common usage is a normal and essential part of linguistics. Arguing that VH1's usage demonstrates how the use of decades is commonly understood is entirely valid. This single example isn't definitive (White Hat immediately "accept[ing] VH1's authority" without further argument is a comic exaggeration), but it does support Ponytail's case. | |
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| + | Continuing the "proof" offered by Megan, the title text goes on to use the {{w|Billboard (magazine)|Billboard}} [https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboards-top-songs-80s Best of the 80s] chart as proof that the 1980s started in 1980, as their chart includes {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie's}} "{{w|Call Me (Blondie song)|Call Me}}", which was released in 1980. The title text ends with {{w|Q.E.D.|QED}} ("quod erat demonstrandum"), which means "which was [necessary] to be shown", and is traditionally used at the end of a mathematical proof, implicitly equating such pop culture references to unassailable logical evidence. Once again, this is clearly exaggeration, but the fact that multiple media outlets use the same definition as Ponytail, with no counter-examples, strongly supports her definition as being the commonly accepted one. | ||
Megan's exclamation "Stop!" is similar to the line famously used by MC Hammer in "U Can't Touch This" ("Stop! Hammer time."). | Megan's exclamation "Stop!" is similar to the line famously used by MC Hammer in "U Can't Touch This" ("Stop! Hammer time."). | ||
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
