Several nights ago Dartboard and his roommate were having a late night discussion. While both are wont to be asleep at a time when many Harvard students are first beginning their work, excessive imbibing of dining-hall coffee prevented early efforts at slumber.

The conversation took the twists and turns that late night rambles usually do, and was thoroughly unremarkable for most of its duration. After awhile, though, Dartboard and his roommate managed to glean one bit of wisdom, the surprising frequency with which people were summed up with one of two words: good or bad.

Both Dartboard and his roommate realized that in our descriptions of various souls around campus, just about the worst thing we could say about someone was that they were “a bad person.” Dartboard here states flatly that he’d rather be called a whole host of expletives or insults rather than being labeled simply “a bad person.” The overarching damnation that such a phrase denotes is unmatched by anything else of which Dartboard can think.

On the flipside, neither Dartboard nor his roommate were able to think of something more complementary or reassuring than the label of “good person.” While exceedingly simple, something most first-graders would recognize, the phrases sum up a person far better than rambling on about how they are bright, clever, funny, or pleasant.

In Dartboard’s all too humble opinion, this is not something limited to a single blocking group or collection of friends; those same labels of “good” and “bad” have cropped up time and time again all around campus. It seems to be a bit of a trend. These two words cut to the chase as no others do, and are a wonder at clearing up confusion. Employing “good” or “bad” ensures that there will no more wondering what exactly it means if someone is “unique” or “interesting.” As a fundamentally straightforward person, and one who places a high value upon clarity, Dartboard cheers this resurgence of simplicity.

—MARK A. ADOMANIS