[Caesar Soze]

You invited the "hopelessly archaic" comparisons with the open-ended phrase "umpteen generations." If you have some hard number in mind — say, two generations, or three — please state it, otherwise your readers are left to their own devices to interpret the word "umpteen." (One might also mention that "hopelessly archaic" is just as subjective "umpteen," if one were feeling snarky.)

And certainly much of the clothing (men's and women's) of 60-80 years ago is passe. Unless you're going to a gangster-themed costume party or you've got some kind of thrift-shop po-mo thing going on. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Or, evidently, teaching a university-level class to students who are more interested in your shoes than the quality of your lecture. (I certainly hope you brought that issue up in your evaluation of the class, or personally during office hours.)

And sure, I'll bite and say the increased prevalence of body modification is a sign of progress. As conservatives we are not required to reject all forms of expression, pluralism, or tolerance.

[nopardons]

Could you please explain what is so "progressive" about adopting S&M piercings and primitive tribal tattoos and piercings? Isn't that 1)adaptive perversion and 2) regressive behaviors?