| The best way to cheapen anything is to overuse | | | | promotes factors which can improve your quality |
| it ...I recall a sports clip from many years ago, | | | | of living. To me, that implies that certain |
| where a veteran basketball player near the end | | | | standards of competence must be maintained. In |
| of his career was reminiscing about his prime and | | | | the bell curve of daily existence, there must be |
| comparing it to the supporting-cast status he was | | | | sentinels whose very actions exemplify and |
| about to assume with his latest team. He made a | | | | maintain quality in their area of expertise. This is |
| comment along the lines of "I've been a | | | | how a culture advances.The impact of |
| superstar; it's fine with me if I don't have that | | | | wordsmiths in any culture is enormous. Not only |
| role anymore."Perhaps he thought he was being | | | | do they chronicle every aspect of it, they |
| humble. For my part, I thought that if I didn't | | | | influence its nature and perceptions. The |
| remember him from a fairly illustrious college | | | | prominence of their vocations ensures they are |
| career, I wouldn't have picked him out of a lineup | | | | very aware of these realities.Thus, there should |
| of one.Superstar?This word took flight in the | | | | be little or no tolerance for rendering the tools of |
| 1970s, as far as I can tell. It was originally | | | | their trade --- words and grammar --- in |
| intended to draw a distinction between well-known | | | | diminishing contexts.Thus, in this instance, a 'star' is |
| people and really well-known people, usually from | | | | recognized by anyone who follows his profession. |
| the sports or entertainment industries. However, I | | | | A 'superstar' is recognized by anyone. David |
| think most would agree that the term reached its | | | | Beckham is a superstar. So is Michael Jordan, |
| zenith when Andrew Lloyd-Weber and Tim Rice | | | | Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Humphrey Bogart, |
| affixed it to the title of their most famous rock | | | | Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Maria Callas.So is |
| opera, 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'Admittedly, a | | | | Ernest Hemingway.His work is proof that it's not |
| reference like that set the bar quite high for | | | | the tools you use, but how you use them. He's |
| anyone else who might want to be affiliated with | | | | what Hunter S Thompson and Richard Farina |
| the designation. But to me, this is the way it | | | | almost were. More importantly, he did his part to |
| should be.For the past decade or so, especially in | | | | keep the bar raised high.That Hemingway |
| the USA, 'superstar' has been so watered down | | | | immersed himself into every aspect of that word |
| that even pop dictionaries have begun to pull back | | | | is a backhanded tribute to his zeal for both his |
| on its significance. Any notable of the moment | | | | times and his craft.It's what we should expect |
| seems to qualify. However, for the most part, | | | | from a superstar.J Square Humboldt is the |
| unless they're like the basketball player mentioned | | | | featured columnist at the Longer Life website, |
| above and actually believe the hype, they're not | | | | which is dedicated to providing information, |
| the root of the diluted definition.That distinction is | | | | strategies, analysis and commentary designed to |
| reserved for our contemporary wordsmiths, the | | | | improve the quality of living. His page can be |
| writers and broadcasters of our time.There's a | | | | found at and his observations are published three |
| reason such a seemingly innocuous bit of | | | | times per week. |
| pedantry merits notice. The Longer Life site | | | | |