Reading this reminded me of an old favorite lecture, on the origin of the word "loser". It turns out losing wasn't always a widely used noun - it came into pop

Reading this reminded me of an old favorite lecture, on the origin of the word "loser". It turns out losing wasn't always a widely used noun - it came into popularity as a shorthand for lenders to evaluate loan prospects, specifically in order to turn someone's past experience into a current trait. He goes onto argue that this slight of hand really contributes to anxiety and inequality, because it reinforces the idea that one bad experience can define your identity. It looks like Prof Sandage ultimately turned the lecture into a book: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43081-2005Jan27.html?noredirect=on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43081-2005Jan...