CALL ME SNAKE

The tone of the last debate between Hillary and Barack before Super Tuesday was “cordial,” and everyone who reported on that event–in the newspapers and on TV and radio–used that term. It’s as if there was some kind of universal agreement to use the word “cordial,” rather than some other word like “civil” or “polite” or “respectful.”

I’ve been coming across that word a lot lately. Some friends recently described a trip they took out West where the people they met weren’t exactly friendly but were cordial. If they went to the gas station, it wouldn’t just be a fill-up. They’d invariably get into a 10-minute or longer conversation with the attendant. The same thing happened at the grocery store, butcher shop, etc. (Well maybe not the butcher shop, as my friends are vegetarians, but you get the point…) I suppose you could call that cordial. Or maybe it’s just people with too much time on their hands.