Word: legalism
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...definition of diversity has changed over the years, and we want to be responsive to these changes," Marshall said. "Nationally, affirmative action has become more of a topic of legal and moral debate...
According to Harvard Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis '70-'73, Harvard will not reevaluate its admissions process because of the changing legal climate, since Harvard's admissions process does not take such factors as race, ethnic background, or family income into account, according to Lewis...
...with just a whiff of victimhood. Many women winced at a scandal that began with a lovestruck Valley Girl gossiping to her treacherous friend; by year's end those images had been diluted by some other women who took the stage: Cheryl Mills, all of 34, with her hypnotic legal lullaby; Nicole Seligman bleaching the House case; Democrat Dianne Feinstein trying to be genuinely stern with an adolescent President; Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins emerging from the back benches to call for a reasoned response. You could disagree with their positions and still respect their conduct...
...pervasiveness of legal concepts these days is coupled with the heaping of scorn on them. Take "legalistic hairsplitting," used to imply that we all know the precise meaning of common phrases like sexual relations. Thus the scandal has brought a touch of reality to our talk, making us realize how little we actually agree on the meanings of basic words. Not only do some people define "sex" narrowly as "sexual intercourse," but health professionals have long known that Humpty Dumpty spoke for us all when he claimed, "When I use a word, it means just what I choose...
...occult powers, to answer questions or give advice on personal matters or to exorcise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses." Now, that would seem to apply to the horoscope in the back pages of, say, the New York Daily News. There is, however, an exception. Fortunetelling is legal if it's for entertainment. Confused by the distinction, I decide to consult some experts in the field...