I’ve written about the radio show The Ongoing History Of New Music here, in the past, on my way to a more relevant point. And, ever since that post, I can’t say I’ve spent too many Sunday morning’s not listening to Alan Cross do his thing. Even though his interpretation of certain events and circumstances seems flawed, to me at least, but what do I know. It isn’t often I find too much to gripe about.
Then there was this morning…
In the third instalment, in his 3 part series on “Reunions,” he started today’s show with a few words on “nostalgia.” And likened the word, specifically it’s sound, to a disease. I can’t recall the disease he used as to compare it to, but it’s what he said next which caught my ear. He also compared the pronunciation of “nostalgia” to the “condition” of “paraplegia,” in the very next sentence.
Now it could be just me, but I took what he said, and specifically the context in which it was offered, to mean — even though he went to the trouble to label it a “condition” — paraplegia is a disease. That said, I don’t believe it was his intention to infer to it as such, or maybe it was, I have absolutely no clue.
Point being, words have meaning, and often a word such as “disease” — which has a rather benign literal definition — carry a heavy negative connotation. And, in this particular instance, how I interpreted what he said just felt wrong and was mildly offensive, to me.
So was this rant was called for? I thought so. Take that for what it’s worth…