On the other hand, the argument (with which I agree) that one must not judge the past by today's lights is not best served by coining yet another instant -ism. Then you don't have an argument or concept. What you do have is shorthand and symbol. Will academics and others who still think about these things end up like fast-food workers, punching buttons with cute pictures on them because, like, words are hard n' take too long 'n stuff? Wait a minute -- hasn't this already happened? <g> Spell it out, folks. One picture is not worth a thousand words. The right word ("and not its second cousin") can still be worth a thousand pictures. Anytime anyone wants to write a 10,000 word essay on "presentism", I'll read it. But let's not indulge in name-calling, bomb-throwing, symbol-slinging, or other pursuits better suited to politicians and others of limited intellect. Sylvia Weiser Wendel, M.F.A.