Word: purism
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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What is to be done? Refusing to eat Whoppers or to skip that headache-filled stroll through Downtown Crossing simply translates into moral purism. Such acts might also lead the quasi-veggie to join a commune tucked away in a Vermont forest or isolated on a northern California sea-cliff. But a seclusion without frozen Swanson's brownies or the pulpy grease of Quarter Pounders also loses out on the potentially progressive parts of an often despicable society...
Balley's (21 Brattle St.): The only really old fashioned ice cream parlor around, Bailey's is quaint and a pleasant surprise. Tall sundae glasses filled with such antiquated joys as "Mocha Lace." None of those newfangled candy mix-ins. This is purism at its best. Brigham's (1420 Mass. Ave.): Chain-store decor aside, Brigham's boasts generous portions, thick frappes, and low prices, though sophisticates sneer. Steve's (34 Church St.): The original, legendary Steve's (in Somerville) was reputed to be worth the lengthy trek. The fun may have gone out of Steve's now that there...
Such legal purism may be appealing in the abstract, but it is both unrealistic and inadequate in the face of the reality of America's history of racism and sexism. And together with those whose distaste for affirmative action is less ideologically motivated, these objections indicate the limits of American commitment to full equality...