This column is 25 years old. It's surprisingly fresh. He mentions that he finds it shocking. I think it's a measure of societal language change that I don't fin

This column is 25 years old. It's surprisingly fresh. He mentions that he finds it shocking. I think it's a measure of societal language change that I don't find it shocking. Of course, race politics are very different in America today, and language has moved (in some ways) from the mid 80's. No woman is a 'salesman' in America today, but in the 80's this was not so, and in fact was the subject of vigorous debate. I did find it fascinating to see race forced on a person by language as we force gender in English, and I don't think that element of his our language has changed much at all in the last 25 years. Nr, Ns. and Niss where unbelievably brilliant language additions, Ble / Whe a little less so to me. Also, "One small step for a white, one giant leap for whitekind" was just perfect. Sorry ladies; I wish the space race had some benefit for you, instead it was only mankind.