If he was writing in 1975, why would he say “the early 70s” instead of “last year” or “a couple of years ago”?
He closes with:
The word yuppie didn’t come into popular usage until the early 1980s, and the first printed use of it is apparently in a 1980 Chicago magazine story. cite
I’m guessing that the story is from either 1985, when ‘yuppie’ was still in semi-popular use, or 1995, which is a long enough time in the past that Cecil’s first comment
Uncle Cece’s columns were “updated” when they were posted on the AOL website, and they have at times undergone periodic update as posted at the main Straight Dope website (post-AOL). When that happens, the date of the original column is not changed, which creates apparent anachronisms all the time.
The date given is the date of original publication. The columns are sometimes updated for a variety of reasons but the “last updated” date is almost never given. Rather annoying, I admit, not least of all because I have to keep explaining it.
I’ve raised this issue repeatedly… what’s the objection to posting a disclaimer that says “this article had been updated since it was originally published?” It would eliminate the confusion and doubts about credibility… besides, it seems to me that there’s a scholarly/ethical obligation to acknowledge the changes.
