Just a short note to note that today marks the 35th anniversary of The first Straight Dope column, which appeared on February 2, 1973. And although ignorance has not been completely wiped out yet, no doubt it’s on its last legs, so this time next year, who knows, might find Uncle Cecil has switched to a fishing column. Or maybe golf.
Let’s have one of those things. You know, with people who are all in the same place at the same time, and communicate verbally. They’re often arranged for a special occasion. You know what I mean. Gah. A party! That’s it.
Party!!!
No, because then Unca Cece would have to show himself, and they don’t want to. 
It’s interesting that the first four questions are all about Chicago, where the column is headquartered. Starting out fighting ignorance about Chicago, branching out to the world, and maybe someday to the universe…it may be taking longer than we thought, but it’s still fun. Congratulations, Cecil!
In one sense, ignorance is on the decline, in that the amount of information known has increased.
Unfortunately, when you treat information as a signed quantity – that is, by treating false information as negative – the sum of human knowledge is displaying a trend toward zero. Darwin denial, Shakespeare denial, Einstein denial, moon-landing denial, holocaust denial, homeopathic “medicine”, “The DaVinci Code”, the terrifying “New Chronology” cult in Russia… wherever you look, ignorance is on the rise, and fewer and fewer people even seem to care. Not modern academics ,who are abandoning the very concept of truth; not (as a rule) modern journalists, who are only after sound bites; and, God knows, not the Bush apparatchik who explained to Run Suskind that “judicious study of discernible reality” is an outdated approach to problem solving.
I came to Unca Cecil in 1988. Oh, thank you, blessed master! Before, I was wandering in the darkness of ignorance…
And it is a pure FUCKING delight to see people with discerning taste and critical thinking habits…Unca Cecil being the lodestone that draws us all.
Yes, I used a curse word. So there.
(Raises glass for a toast)
And though I rebel, argue, and hassle, it’s nothing personal. I’m just contrary by nature.
Hmm… Let’s see: 1973 to 2008 = 35 years. Unka Cece had to be at least 25 (?) years old when writing in 1978, which puts his age at around 60. I figure he’s got at least 15 more ignorance fighting years, and 15 more to goof off.
Keep up the good work, Big C!!!
I was thinking…about the rate of expanding knowledge 'n’at…
35 years before now it was 1973.
35 years before that it was 1938!
Does anybody feel like 1938-73 was a helluva lot longer time span than 1973-2008? That what we gained in knowledge has been more than countered by the rising tide of ignorance? That we came a lot further in the 35 years before the SD than since?
Or should I just ask all of you to get off my lawn?