Word Play

When I want to write about people like myself, I wonder what word to use. “Old” is dated. No one calls herself old today, and even the professionals who attend to us, doctors, etc., avoid the word. “Senior citizen”? I really dislike this one. “Elder”? A dignified expression. It implies a position of leadership, like the village elders who are often consulted in tribal societies. I do call myself the village elder of my tribe of first cousins simply because I am the oldest. As the elder, I say, I have the obligation to transmit stories about the family that I know and they probably do not. But no one consults me and I do not expect them to. As a matter of fact, I often consult my cousins in their areas of expertise. So, what word to use for myself and my contemporaries? Oldie? Oldster?

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One modern name change really bothers me. I can’t quite forgive the homosexual community for appropriating “gay”. I love the traditional meaning of that word. It was so descriptive of a certain mood, as in the book title “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay”. Of course the gay community can choose whatever name they want. But what can we use as a substitute for the original meaning? “Happy” is not the same. “Carefree” maybe, but a bit heavy.

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Making up alternative names for President Trump seems to have become something of a national pastime. Just browse the Web and you will find a list of hundreds, many pejorative. Names for Trump followers, not so many. Should we use Trumpists? Trumpians? For his advisors who look favorably on Putin, Trumpniks?