5 ms·

The title is a possible reference to this satirical essay about solving poverty through cannibalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal https://en.

The title is a possible reference to this satirical essay about solving poverty through cannibalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
sjcsjc 9y ago
I assume so too, and it's well worth reading. From 1729, by Jonathan Swift. Full text here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm When I was a kid in the 80s, the parents of a kid in my older brother's class complained angrily to the school about this, clearly having failed to realise it was satire. Here's an excerpt: "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust."
flashman 9y ago
That's the problem with using "a modest proposal" for serious suggestions: you're supposed to use it for satire.
- thanksgiving 9y ago
  Wait, so is the op actually suggesting we be able to use commas? I thought op meant to say people who want to use commas are exactly like people who want to eat human babies to solve the problem of child poverty.
  - hoorayimhelping 9y ago
    The second one. I read this as the author making fun of people who act like not having trailing commas is a situation so dire we may have to eat children.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >Wait, so is the op actually suggesting we be able to use commas? Yes, I think they do. The author just borrowed the title of Swift's article in the sense "here's a fun title based on a historical reference, for something that, for once, it's indeed a modest proposal". They didn't intend it in the exact same way Swift intended it.
- Al-Khwarizmi 9y ago
  Well, the subtitle is "Let Me Put a Fucking Comma There, Goddamnit, JSON", and the argumentation is "for the love of all that is fucking holy", so I'd say the intention of the author of the proposal was not to make it look serious.

The title is a possible reference to this satirical essay about solving poverty through cannibalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

sjcsjc 9y ago

I assume so too, and it's well worth reading. From 1729, by Jonathan Swift. Full text here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm When I was a kid in the 80s, the parents of a kid in my older brother's class complained angrily to the school about this, clearly having failed to realise it was satire. Here's an excerpt: "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust."

flashman 9y ago

That's the problem with using "a modest proposal" for serious suggestions: you're supposed to use it for satire.

thanksgiving 9y ago
Wait, so is the op actually suggesting we be able to use commas? I thought op meant to say people who want to use commas are exactly like people who want to eat human babies to solve the problem of child poverty.
- hoorayimhelping 9y ago
  The second one. I read this as the author making fun of people who act like not having trailing commas is a situation so dire we may have to eat children.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >Wait, so is the op actually suggesting we be able to use commas? Yes, I think they do. The author just borrowed the title of Swift's article in the sense "here's a fun title based on a historical reference, for something that, for once, it's indeed a modest proposal". They didn't intend it in the exact same way Swift intended it.
Al-Khwarizmi 9y ago
Well, the subtitle is "Let Me Put a Fucking Comma There, Goddamnit, JSON", and the argumentation is "for the love of all that is fucking holy", so I'd say the intention of the author of the proposal was not to make it look serious.