I came across the following site during my wanderings today: It’s Twenty-ten, not Two-thousand and ten. It makes the following argument about how we should say the year 2010:

Say the year “1810” out loud. Now say the year “1999” out loud. See a pattern? It’s been easier, faster, and shorter to say years this way for every decade (except for the one that just ended) instead of saying the number the long way. However, many people are carrying the way they said years from last decade over to this decade as a bad habit. If we don’t fix this now, we’ll be stuck saying years the long way for the next 89 years. Don’t let that happen!

On the one hand I agree with the argument that it’s easier, faster, and shorter to say twenty-ten instead of two-thousand and ten. On the other hand I want to use the latter form just to piss off the people who put that website up.

I have no good reason why I should feel animosity at a group that’s pointing out something I actually agree with and doing so probably reveals some deep-seated psychological need to be a contrarian asshole, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was annoyed when I read it.

Which is weird because I make similar assertions all the time myself right on my own stupid webpage. So you’d think I’d have no problem with this. All I can conclude from this small episode of illogical irritation is that I must be slowly turning into a Republican.