This isn't a post about some ultra-severe measure of law about which I need to rage.
No.
Quite the opposite.
This post is my humble request to the interwebs to please stop throwing around the word "Draconian" so god damn much.
These rules are draconian!
The government is enacting draconian measures to curb free speech!
This draconian restaurant manager insists I put my pants back on!
It's hyperbole that's been bandied about excessively probably since 7th century BC when the actual Draco wrote down the severe laws of Ancient Greece, but lately I've been seeing it way too much, and it's irritating the draconian shit out of me.
I know that it's a term that's essentially come to mean severe and archaic, but what's wrong with saying "severe" or "archaic?"
Envoking the phrase "draconian" just seems a little...much.
Draco was Athens' first legislator and decried that virtually all infractions of the law were punishable by death, so likening Jean Charest to Draco for asking for a heads-up before a protest, for example, is probably overkill.
Plus, it's just plain lazy.
As soon as I read any argument or headline that involves the phrase "draconian," I roll my eyes, pour another scotch, and turn the page to something else. If you can't articulate your point more creatively, I'm not going to bother reading your argument. It's weak as soon as you write the word.
Think of it as an informal ad hominem.
Reductio ad Draconium: An argument whereby lazy people purporting to fight for people's rights invoke reference to a 7th century lawmaker about whom they know almost nothing.
In keeping with the theme, I propose, naturally, that overuse of
Reductio ad Draconium be an offense punishable by death.
OK?
Thanks a bunch.
