Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 232

Less money. More connection.

I hear from a lot of readers and storytelling fans from around the world. 

Just this week, readers from Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, and Ecuador wrote to me about my books an stories. 

Add to this folks from Orlando, Seattle, Dallas, and the "mountains of West Virginia."

There was a time in publishing when books held decidedly greater attention and appeal to the American public, as evidenced by these disturbing statistics:

Though I wish the public still treasured books as much as they did 50 or 100 years ago, I take solace in the fact that writers like Hemingway, Dickinson, Baldwin, and Fitzgerald were never able to wake up to an email from a Mexican teenage girl who was dying to know if characters from their first novel ever got married.

This happened yesterday. 

Or a Facebook message from a woman in Australia who spent the evening binge-watching my YouTube channel. 

That also happened yesterday. 

Or the email from Canada who told me that page 181-183 of my new book, Storyworthy, helped her to release an awful burden and perhaps save a friendship.

I received that about a week ago. 

Or a photo from a woman in Ecuador who loved their third novel and sent a photo of where that book resides on her shelf. 

I received it about a week ago, too.

Yes, I wish more people read books, and I wish more people read my books, but the daily communication I receive from people around the country and the world is pretty amazing.

A lot less profitable, but pretty amazing nonetheless. 

Low life cretins steal stories.

At a book talk about a week ago, a woman asked me if I'm ever worried that someone might steal my stories and use them for their own purposes. "Your stories are so good," she said. "How do you protect them from someone who might try to tell them as their own? Or write and publish them? Or write a novel based upon your life?"

I was amused by the question. Copyright, I explained, protects me. There is no need to file any official paperwork in order to establish copyright. If I were to write a poem on the inside of a box of cereal, it would immediately be copyrighted. If I stand up before nine people in a bar and tell a story about my life, I'm instantly protected by copyright.

Copyright is a beautiful thing. 

Then I added something like this:

Besides, who would be so desperate and pathetic to steal one of the stories? What kind of sick person would pretend that my life was their own? Even if someone wanted to steal one of my stories, I spend a large portion of my life trying to convince people to write. To tell stories. To preserve their own stories and their own voice in some way for future generations. But the vast majority of these people - almost all of them - ignore my warnings, continue to stare at the television, and live lives of eventual, lamentable regret.

People are lazy, I explained. If a person can't take the time to write or tell your own stories, why would they ever find the energy or initiative to tell my stories?

I liked this answer a lot. I thought it was funny and honest and a little pointed. All characteristic that I adore. And it made the audience laugh, hopefully in the way you laugh at things you know are terribly true. 

Then I went home and told Elysha about my impressive answer. Waited for her to express as much admiration for my response as I was feeling. 

Instead she said this:

"But Matt, someone did steal one of your stories. Don't you remember?" 

She was right.

About four years ago, a low life scum of a human being was speaking to two of my friends when he launched into an amusing story about his childhood. My friends listened in horror, quickly realizing that he was telling one of my childhood stories as is own. They allowed him to finish before calling him on it, at which point he attempted a few feeble excuses and slithered away like the worm that he was and still is.

Damn. That lady at RJ Julia Booksellers was right. People steal stories. 

Correction: Low life cretins steal stories.  

It admittedly takes an especially sad, despicable, and rotten human being to do such a thing - someone who hates their own life so much that they will steal the life of another - but it's a real possibility.

My clever, cavalier answer was nonsense. 

My only hope is that the number of low life cretins looking to steal stories is low. 

Name your sources or begone!

It wasn't a fight. More like a minor confrontation.

I was pouring myself a soda at my local McDonald's on Sunday when I heard a man telling a couple who I know fairly well that "President Trump is going to make a great Supreme Court pick."

The couple - McDonald's regulars who I see almost every day - were reading the newspaper. The man was standing besdie their table, shifting from one foot to another. Restless. Anxious. 

"You think so?" the husband asked.

"President Trump says he's going to make the best pick ever," the man said.

"You believe everything that man says?" the wife asked with a chuckle.

"I believe him," the man said, undeterred. "And you know what else? I hear that Justice Ginsburg doesn't even write her own briefs anymore. She has interns doing it. She needs to retire, too."

"Actually," the wife said, "all of the justices rely on law clerks for drafts of their opinions. It's a totally normal thing."

"Oh yeah?" the man asked. 

"Yeah," the husband replied. 

Stymied, the man returned to his coffee on the other side of the restaurant. 

I was so annoyed. I wanted in on this conversation. I wanted to debate. I was armed and ready. I was also angry that the couple hadn't told the man that justices wrote opinions. Not briefs. Also, justices have law clerks working for them. Not interns.

I hate missed opportunities.

After topping off my soda, I turned to the couple, who were both still smirking. I wished them a good day, and they wished me luck in the golf course.

"I've already played," I said. "Poorly as usual."

Then the man was back, reappearing without me even seeing him approach. "Another thing," he said. "I hear that Justice Ginsberg falls asleep on the bench. Can you believe that? Time for her to retire if you ask me."

I looked up. I stared. He was looking down at the couple, but all I needed was a little eye contact and I would be in. "C'mon. Look over here," I willed. "Please."

Then it happened. He glanced over at me. We locked eyes for a moment. He acknowledged my presence. It was on.

"You heard?" I asked. "Who did you hear this from?" 

"Huh?" the man asked. I think my entry into the conversation surprised him. He wasn't expecting me to speak. It was a sneak attack.

"I'm wondering who told you this?" I asked. "Did you know that every Supreme Court session has a gallery of court reporters and public observers? Did you know that RBG exercises every day. Pushups and planks and squats and bench presses. Cardio, too. It's well documented. And before Scalia died, she went hunting with him regularly. Hardly sounds like someone asleep at the bench."

"That's not what I heard."

"Who?" I asked. "Who did you hear this from? Name your source." 

"People," he said.

"Who?" I pressed, politely but insistently. "C'mon. Someone told you Ruth Bader Ginsberg sleeps at the bench. Who told you?"

"Whatever," the man said, slinking away.

Maybe not slinking, but I like to think that he was slinking. Either way, he beat a hasty retreat back to his coffee, perhaps to regroup.

The husband offered me a surreptitious thumbs up, and I nodded back and left.

Not a fight. Barely a confrontation. 

But so much fun. 

There is no reason to delay the use of signage like this.

I understand that not everyone is ready for universal restrooms.

While I may use a restroom at a place like Oberon in Cambridge, MA, which has a large restroom of stalls and urinals used by all genders simultaneously, it's simply too much for some people.

When genitals are privately exposed for the purpose of elimination, they must only be privately exposed amongst their own kind. Strict segregation of penis and vulva at all times in public spaces is a nonnegotiable for many people.  

Note: Vulva is the correct term for the external female sex organ. The vagina is actually the internal genital tract extending from the vulva to the cervix, but for some reason, it is often used  incorrectly in place of the anatomically-correct vulva.

Someday, universal restrooms will be commonplace. People of all genders will enter a single space for the purpose of elimination, and no one will give a damn. Future generations will undoubtedly scoff at our bizarre need for genital segregation in the same way most of us scoff at the idea of segregating the races on a bus, a lunch counter, or a school. 

But some of us aren't ready for genital desegregation yet. I understand. Change is hard. Fear is a powerful force, even when it's unwarranted and misguided. Altering a longstanding norm can take time.  

But in the cases when a public restroom is a single serve space with a lock on the door, why can't we at least dispose of the male and female distinctions and use something more appropriate like this outstanding sign located at RJ Julia Booksellers in Middletown, CT?

Not only is this sign more respectful and inclusive to all genders, but it makes no sense for three women to be waiting for their single use restroom while the restroom designated for men is empty.

From a perspective of efficiency, this is a change that must be made.

More importantly, signage like this demonstrates the necessary level of respect, inclusivity, and civility that should be afforded to people of all genders, as well as a much needed acknowledgement that gender is not always a binary proposition, and that all people deserve to live their most authentic lives absent of stigma, bias, or fear. 

Gender binary signage should already be a thing of the past, at least in the case of single use restrooms. This is a small but meaningful step that even the most ardent traditionalists and most staunch genital segregation advocates would be hard pressed to oppose.

If you own a business with single-use restrooms equipped with gender binary signage, change it today. Make the world a little more efficient for all human beings and a little more accepting to people of all genders and forms of gender expression.

The boy has been trained well.

In truth, I didn't push my love for the Yankees and hatred for the Red Sox all that much. I think he absorbed most of his sports allegiances through osmosis.

Or he simply made the most sensible, most logical, most reasonable choice. 

Speak Up Storytelling #7: Special Storyworthy book launch episode

Episode #7 of Speak Up Storytelling is now ready for your listening pleasure.

This week's special episode features part 2 of the live audio from the book launch for Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling.

In this episode, you'll hear me tell two BRAND NEW stories, never before told at Speak Up (and two never before told on any stage anywhere). followed by short lessons on the finding and crafting of stories. 

This episode also includes the question and answer session following the stories, and best of all, features Elysha playing the ukulele and singing publicly for the first time! 

If you haven't subscribed to the podcast in Apple podcasts (or wherever you receive your podcasts), please do. And if you're not one of the 30 or so people to rate the podcast and 20 to review it in Apple Podcasts (who are the best people ever), we would love it if you did.

Ratings and reviews help listeners find our podcast easier, and it makes us feel better about ourselves and our work. 

It also makes Elysha smile. Isn't that incentive enough?

Resolution update: June 2018

We've reached the end of June. The halfway point of the year. In addition to updating the goals on a monthly basis, I'll be projecting the likelihood of my success for each of my goals. 

PERSONAL HEALTH

1. Don’t die.

Feel fantastic. The tube was removed from my ear in June, and I'm swimming, running, and golfing. I feel like I'm 24 years old. Truly. Staving off death with glee.

There is, however, a large hornet/wasp/bee nest in our front yard, and bees kill me dead. Exterminator has been summoned. 

PROJECTION: I expect to meet this goal with ease.  

2. Lose 20 pounds.

Two more pounds lost in June, bringing my total to 12.

PROJECTION: More than halfway to the goal with steady progress means this goal will likely to be met.   

3. Eat at least three servings of fruits and/or vegetables per day. 

I had three servings of fruits and/or vegetables on 26 of 30 days in June.

PROJECTION: I'm not sure if I'll ever achieve a month of 100% completion, but eating at least three fruits and/or vegetables a day for more than 90% of the days is a vast improvement on my previous lifestyle and probably a more realistic goal.  

4. Do at least 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 3 one-minute planks for five days a week.

Done.  

PROJECTION: Other than a two week layoff for a pulled chest muscle, this goal has been easily completed thus far. Completion is highly likely.  

5. Identify a yoga routine that I can commit to practicing at least three days a week.

No progress. In August, I will spend a full week at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. I'll be teaching storytelling, but I'll also have the opportunity to take some yoga classes and perhaps find a routine that fits my lifestyle and personal preference.  

PROJECTION: Still possible, but it depends upon finding a routine that appeals to me. 

6. Stop using the snooze button.

Done and still highly recommended. Science is right. Snoozing is a terrible practice that you must end immediately. Get the hell out of bed once you are awake. You will feel a lot better.    

PROJECTION: Easily achieved. 

WRITING CAREER

7. Complete my seventh novel before the end of 2018.

My agent and I have settled on the next novel. Progress has begun.

PROJECTION: The likelihood of completion is high.  

8. Complete my second middle grade/YA novel.

I've submitted my first middle grade novel to my editor and am awaiting word in terms of required revision. I can't choose or start the next book until the first is complete. 

PROJECTION: The delay from my editor in returning my manuscript is jeopardizing the completion of this goal in 2018. Likelihood of achieving this goal is in doubt. 

9. Write at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist. 

No progress.

PROJECTION: Likely. Even though I have yet to start, this goal is still very doable. Chances of success are high.  

10. Write a proposal for a memoir.

My agent and I have decided upon the memoir, and progress has begun. First draft of the proposal has been sent to my agent for review.

PROJECTION: Likelihood of completIon is high. 

11. Write a new screenplay.

No progress in June.

PROJECTION: Still possible, and I have many screenplay ideas, but other things may end up crowding this one out. Likelihood of success is doubtful. 

12. Write a musical.

Writing has commenced. 

PROJECTION: A very rough draft should be done by the end of the year. Completion is better than 50/50. 

13. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.

Nothing submitted in June.

PROJECTION: I've submitted a total of three pieces so far. All have been rejected. Likelihood that this goal will be met is high. 

4. Write a proposal for a nonfiction book related to education.

No progress.

PROJECTION: My agent doesn't love my ideas for his book, so although a proposal is very doable, the likelihood of it earning any money is low (in her expert opinion), so it may be one of the goals left by the wayside this year. Completion of this goal is in doubt.

15. Submit one or more short stories to at least three publishing outlets.

No progress.

PROJECTION: Submitting stories is simple, and I have stories ready to go. The likelihood of completing this goal is high. 

16. Select three behaviors that I am opposed to and adopt them for one week, then write about my experiences on the blog.

No progress. I'm still looking for possible behaviors to adopt. Suggestions welcomed. 

PROJECTION: Provided that I can find three behaviors to adopt, this goal is very doable. After three years of completing this goal, I fear that I may have run out of behaviors that I oppose. 

17. Increase my author newsletter subscriber base to 2,000.

A whopping 89 subscribers added in June, and a total of 200 added in 2018. 

PROJECTION: A big month of June brought me to exactly half the number of subscribers needed to achieve the goal, so I am currently on pace to succeed. 

I'm also changing my approach to newsletters starting this month. Rather than sending a large monthly email, I'll be shifting to a much shorter weekly newsletter that offers advice on storytelling, writing, and the like. An expert in this field suggests that a large newsletter is often dismissed by readers, but a short, actionable newsletter will garner readers and offer content that more people want. 

I hope so!

If you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive tips on writing and storytelling, as well as links to amusing Internet miscellany and more, please subscribe here:

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18. Write at least six letters to my father.

No progress in June.

PROJECTION: Two letters written thus far. It's highly likely that I will achieve this goal, though if my father would actually reply to one of my letters and stop ignoring me, that would help my desire to write to him immensely. 

19. Write 100 letters in 2018.

Just one letter written and mailed in June.

PROJECTION: I've written 32 letters in total so far, which is off the pace for 100, but making up ground this summer should not be too hard. The goal is likely to be achieved.  

20. Convert Greetings Little One into a book.

No progress.  

PROJECTION: I need a reliable service or a dependable human being who is willing to do this work. Absent one of these two things, the goal will be missed again.  

21. Record one thing learned every week in 2018.

Done! My favorite from June:

The Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia hosts a baby jumping festival every year in June. 

Insanity. 

During the festival, red and yellow-masked “devils” run through the streets hurling insults at villagers and whipping them with a horsetail attached to a stick. When drums announce the arrival of the black-clad atabalero, pious men who who have come to drive out evil, el salto del Colacho—the flight of the devil—begins.In a heart-stopping display, babies born during the previous year are laid on mattresses in the street while the costumed men leap over them.

PROJECTION: It's highly likely that I will achieve this goal.      

STORYTELLING

22. Produce a total of 12 Speak Up storytelling events.

Two shows produced in June: A show at the Connecticut Historical Society and my book launch at Real Art Ways.

PROJECTION: Our total number of shows stands at 6. It looks like we will produce exactly a dozen this year, though we may have some new opportunities in the New Haven area that could push that total higher. 

23. Deliver a TEDx Talk.

Done! I spoke at a TEDxNatick salon event in May. I've also applied for two more TEDx conferences and await word. 

PROJECTION: Goal achieved. 

24. Attend at least 15 Moth events with the intention of telling a story.

No Moth events in June. Only three so far in 2018. 

On the bright side, I've won all three. 

PROJECTION: Attending 12 Moth events in the second half of the year is doable but will be admittedly challenging given all the press for my new book. Outlook doubtful. 

25. Win at least three Moth StorySLAMs.

I won my 35th StorySLAM in NYC in February. I have not competed in a StorySLAM since.

PROJECTION: One down. Two to go. The chances of achieving this goal are still high. 

26. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.

Done twice over! I won my fifth GrandSLAM in February and my sixth GrandSLAM in April.

PROJECTION: Goal achieved. 

27. Produce at least 25 episodes of our new podcast Speak Up Storytelling. 

Episodes #1-6 are now now available wherever you get podcasts, and episode #7 drops tomorrow. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts. C'mon, people.  

PROJECTION: If we don't skip more than five weeks for the rest of 2018, this goal will be achieved. Highly likely that we will succeed.

28. Perform stand up at least four times in 2018. 

No progress in June.

PROJECTION: I performed in at an open-mic night at a local comedy club and was also paid to headline a show in May (my first paid comedy gig!), bringing my total number of stand up performances in 2018 to three. Just one more to achieve the goal. It is very likely that I will achieve this goal.  

29. Pitch my one-person show to at least one professional theater.

Done! My one-person show has been pitched and been accepted by the Speak Up, Rise Up Storytelling Festival. I'll be performing on Tuesday, August 7 at 9:30pm on their Main Stage.

You should come!

PROJECTION: Highly likely that this goal will be achieved.

30. Pitch a new Moth Mainstage story to the artistic director of The Moth. 

No progress.

PROJECTION: Pitching a story simply requires the time to prepare a pitch. This is very doable and will likely be achieved. 

NEW PROJECTS

31. Write a syllabus for a college course on teaching. 

No progress.

PROJECTION: This is not a difficult task, so as long as I find the time, it's likely that this goal will be achieved. 

32. Cook at least 12 good meals (averaging one per month) in 2018.

No progress. 

PROJECTION: I've failed to achieve this goal for three straight years, and it's looking like a fourth failure is likely. 

33. Plan a 25 year reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.

No progress. 

PROJECTION: I've failed to achieve this goal for three straight years, but I'd really like to make this happen if at all possible. Outlook, however, is doubtful.

MISCELLANEOUS

34. Pay allowance weekly.

Done! 

PROJECTION: It's highly likely that I will complete this goal. 

35. Ride my bike with my kids at least 25 times in 2018.

We purchased a new bike for Clara, and this weekend, we picked it up and finally climbed aboard. One ride down, 24 to go.

PROJECTION: It shouldn't be hard to achieve this goal if my kids are willing. 

36. I will report on the content of speech during every locker room experience via social media in 2018. 

Done. I spent 27 days at a gym (including the locker room) in June, and I did not hear a single comment related to sexually assaulting women.  

PROJECTION: Easily achieved. 

37. I will not comment, positively or negatively, about physical appearance of any person save my wife and children (except in service of a story while appearance is relevant), in 2018 in an effort to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall. 

I did not speak of physical appearance with the exception of my wife and kids in June. 

PROJECTION: I slipped once this year, but it was in service of a story, which I have added as an exception to the rule. This goal will be easily achieved. 

38. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2018.

I surprised Elysha once in June. 

PROJECTION: Five down. One to go. It's highly likely that I will achieve this goal.

39. Replace the 12 ancient, energy-inefficient windows in our home with new windows that will keep the cold out and actually open in the warmer months.

I've received some more reasonable estimates for this project. It might actually be doable.

PROJECTION: Despite the doable nature of this project, the likelihood of completion is doubtful. Uncertain if Elysha will have a job in September, I cannot spend money on discretionary projects until she is finally back to work.     

40. Clean the basement. 

I've reached the halfway point in cleaning. It's looking good. 

PROJECTION: A few more hours spent cleaning and it will be done. Likelihood of achievement is high. 

41. Set a new personal best in golf.

I played several rounds of golf in June. None of my rounds have come close to eclipsing my personal best, though changes in my swing and several sessions at the driving range are showing dramatic improvement. There is hope.

PROJECTION: Though hope is a wonderful thing, it is doubtful that I will eclipse my personal best this year. 

42. Play poker at least six times in 2018.

No poker in June. Still one down. Five to go. 

PROJECTION: This should not be so hard given that I love poker and I know a lot of guys who love poker. Achievement of this goal is likely. 

43. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 25 years.

A spent an evening working as a DJ with Bengi in June, and we made tentative plans to spend more time together this summer in addition to our upcoming weddings.

PROJECTION: This goal is likely to be achieved. 

44. Post my progress in terms of these resolutions on this blog on the first day of every month.

Done.

PROJECTION: Highly likely. 

We march again.

One of the only wonderful things about the Trump administration has been the remarkable protests that his hateful, xenophobic, idiotic policies have engendered throughout our country. Americans coming together in historic numbers to stand opposed to hate, bigotry, sexism, corruption, and the purposeful destruction of our environment for personal profit. 

The Woman's March was the largest single day protest in American history and spread throughout the world. My family marched on that day, and it is a memory I will cherish forever.

There were protests at airports following the various iterations of Trump's bigoted travel bans. The Tax March. The March for Science. Protests following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Protests following Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Protests following Trump's DACA decision. Many, many more.  

Today Americans march is opposition to the authentically evil of separation of children from their migrant parents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans - and maybe more - will once again stand in opposition to Trump - a man elected by a minority of Americans - and his cruel and indefensible immigration policies. 

Peaceful, forceful, unending protest. It's a beautiful thing. The only beautiful thing to come out of the election of this vile, ignorant, self-serving human being. 

Never trust alliteration

Elysha is looking for a teaching job for the first time in 9 years. Now that the kids are off to school and settled into their routines, it's time for her to return to the classroom.

Recently, she was looking at a school district that expects classroom instruction to be "rigorous, relevant, and respectful."

Excellent standards for instruction, but one problem:

I don't trust alliteration when it comes to policy. I will never understand the need for schools, teachers, principals, and other educational leaders to constantly use alliteration when setting forth standards. I don't understand how alliteration makes a set of standards, expectations, goals, or the like any better or more memorable. I can't understand know how or why a stylistic literary device, most often used in poetry and verse, has somehow crept into into policy and procedural standards. 

I have attended meetings where valuable time has been spent trying to wedge a set of standards into a list of words that all begin with the same letter. Conversations that go something like this:

Educator A: "So we all agree. The content of this unit should be timely, topical, and culturally diverse."

Educator B: "Sure, but can we find a way of saying that diversity part with the letter T? Maybe... treats everyone equally? Or tolerant? How about timely, topical, and tolerant. Or tolerance centered? Tolerance focused? Tolerating tolerance? Yeah, that's two T words! Timely, topical, and tolerating tolerance!"

I'm not kidding. I've watched this insanity in action. Many times. 

I'm not saying that "rigorous, relevant, and respectful" are not excellent standards for instruction. I just can't help but wonder what standard might have been left off the list because it didn't begin with the letter R.

Or which of these R words were added simply because when someone was brainstorming a set of standards, the unconscious desire for alliteration took hold. 

Or if one of these standards isn't needed or isn't nearly as important, but the desire for alliteration altered the policy of an entire school district and the means by which thousands of children will be instructed.  

Never trust alliteration. It's a signal of vocabulary manipulation that is never required and often less clear and less precise than the original, less alliterative list. 

I am nonplussed about the shifting definition of nonplussed.

In the last 24 hours, I've read two professionally published pieces of writing - a collection of essays by David Sedaris and a news article - where the word "nonplussed" was used incorrectly. 

Nonplussed means to be surprised and confused to such a degree that a person is uncertain about how to react.

When you are nonplussed, you are startled. Befuddled. Shocked. Discombobulated. 

Not unaffected. Not calm. Not bemused. Despite how so many people - including experienced writers and their editors - might think. 

Websters offers an alternate definition of nonplussed (not bothered, surprised, or impressed by something) but also indicates that this definition is chiefly used in the United States.

Then it adds:

NOTE: The use of nonplussed to mean "unimpressed" is an Americanism that has become increasingly common in recent decades and now appears frequently in published writing. It apparently arose from confusion over the meaning of nonplussed in ambiguous contexts, and it continues to be widely regarded as an error.

In other words, Americans have screwed up the use of this word so often that we must acknowledge that there is alternate, albeit ridiculous definition used only in the stupid Americans. 

I understand that language is constantly evolving, but are we really going to entirely reverse the definition of this word? Changes in the meaning and usage of words is a normal part of an evolving language, but to shift the opposite meaning seems a little ridiculous to me.  

I feel the same about the phrase "Begs the question." While it's so often used to imply that something someone has said or done has prompted a question or wonderment (His inability to hit the baseball begs the question: Does he belong in the major leagues?), it's actually a phrase that defines a certain type of circular logic. 

For example, "The death penalty is wrong because killing people is immoral" is an example of begging the question because it argues that the death penalty is wrong because the death penalty is wrong. 

As a former debate champion and lover of logic, I am a huge fan of the proper use of "begs the question."

Despite my strong feelings, I fear that the true meaning of "begs the question" is a lost cause. It's far more likely to hear someone use the phrase improperly these days, and I suspect that in another decade or two, the proper definition will be lost forever. 

I'm willing to cede ground on "begs the question." Grudgingly. 

But nonplussed? That is a hill I'm willing to die on. A fight that must be fought. A battle I'm willing to wage, and you should, too. Shifting definitions is a perfectly acceptable result of an evolving and ever-changing language, but reversing a definition entirely is something I cannot abide.

I am nonplussed about the shifting definition of nonplussed. I am outraged. Defiant. Activated and ready to fight.

I'm sure you find this as important and pressing an issue as I do.