Yesterday we took a meandering drive through the foothills on Highway 9. We were enjoying the wonderful fall weather, and searching out farm fields that we had worked on back in our custom farming days.
As we followed this windy road and that, driving back into far corners along the river, I noticed that no longer did these roads have "DEAD END" signs posted. Instead, all the signs said, "NO OUTLET". 'Nary a "DEAD END" sign to be seen!
I've been wracking my brain since to figure out if "DEAD END" is somehow not politically correct for these oh-so-politically correct times... Does it show some bias against the dead? Is it too harsh to say that DEAD is the END? Is it unkind to those whose residences are located at the DEAD END, implying that they are some sort of loser, simply because of location? Perhaps it is just insensitive to post the word DEAD, as it may be a traumatic reminder to some... And, truly, I suppose it could be a traumatic reminder to us all, as, one day, we shall all be DEAD.
It IS much more innocuous to say that there is "NO OUTLET", although, being naturally blonde, I had to think about this momentarily to realize it had nothing to do with electricity. I just don't think of through streets as having "outlets". It's not as if it is more difficult to understand why one might not want to go down a DEAD END as compared to a NO OUTLET, though I suppose it is possible that NO OUTLET translates into other languages better than DEAD END. Could be some colloquial irregularities that are tricky there! And do people now say, "We live on a NO OUTLET road..."? "DEAD END" is so much more descriptive, and frankly, a little bit unwelcoming -- which was part of the advantage of living on one such road -- keeps the looky-loos out and enhances one's privacy.
For my part, I'll stick with the DEAD END. It has much more art, and a little mystery to it -- It makes your address special --Why give that up for political correctness?
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