What is THIS:?
By:
January 11, 2016
HiLobrow contributing editor Adam McGovern has been filing a weekly column for the past ten, but until now the child went in search of its name. Perhaps it knew who it was all along. “THIS:” is a linguistic cue that has become universal but inconspicuous; preceding something that social-media post-ers feel must be seen, or which affected them in such a way that no further words from them are needed; not unspecific so much as all-inclusive, framing the essential nature of an idea without over-defining it, and pointing our attention urgently while leaving the thing presented to explain itself. The best, the only worthwhile cultural critique should similarly stand at the proscenium of the phenomena it regards; complement rather than compete with the art itself. And so, as of today’s column, Adam will be showing you THIS: each Monday, but seeing it is up to you. The past ten weeks have been a prologue that lets us both know what we’re looking at; that was then, and THIS: is now.
(—Adam, of course)
Image © 2016 Steve Price