As an alumnus of MSU, I have to wonder if the academic quality has lessened since I’ve graduated after reading the Justin Covington guest column “Naming new decade proves difficult task” (SN 1/12). Covington managed to create an article full of statements contrary to fact, and I wonder where editor Dan Faas was to catch these errors prior to letting the article go to print.
Covington starts his column off on the wrong foot in his headline. This is not a new decade. It is the same one we’ve been in since 2001, when the new millennium occurred. It’s easy to show this to others. Count to 10. Did you start with zero? No, you started with one — so does a new decade or millennium, etc. So happy new year, Mr. Covington — but I’ll wish you a happy new decade next Jan. 1.
The second error Covington states is that “(this) decade had the name ‘aughts’ proposed, but that was found too pretentious to use.” I must inform Covington that the first decade of a new century is and always has been called the aughts. Being correct is never pretentious. What is pretentious is willfully ignoring established terms rather than learn and utilize them.
Lastly, Covington never managed to get around to the concept of his headline in his article. I thought I’d help by pointing out that the next decade (starting January 1, 2011) is known as the “teens.”
These errors in the column are not like the personal choice of calling a drink “soda” as opposed to “pop,” where no consensus exists — these are established scientific and mathematical facts, of which few people in our nation are educated properly. Articles such as Covington’s perpetuate this lack of knowledge.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t MSU interested in properly educating its students regardless of the decade?
Jaym Esch
1994 MSU alumnus
Editor’s note: Writing headlines is the sole responsibility of the Opinion Editor. Justin Covington bears no responsibility for the title of his column.
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