Naming the Decade

It's amazing that no name has emerged to label the decade we just finished. With the thousands of instapundits, too-clever-by-half verbal gymnasts, and neologism factories of the mass media and interweb, you'd think it would have been on everyone's lips by 2003 at the latest.

But no consensus has emerged. I was actually starting to get used to hearing "The Naughties" (or is it "Noughties"?) until I read Richard Chin's piece in today's Pioneer Press, Decade's Diversity Defies Description.

There were two names on Chin's list that I thought had potential. My criteria were:

1. It had to refer to the numerical oddity of the 00s.
   
2. It had to have a good ring to it -- as if it might actually be something you would say! (As we used to put it, "It has a good beat and you can dance to it." Which automatically eliminates the Oh-Ohs, in my opinion.)
3. Style points were awarded for any verbal elements that illuminated the decade's notorious or notable moments.
   

My two favorites were:

• The Zilches, submitted by Marc Drummond of Woodbury.
• The Drearios, submitted by Bob Katula of Stillwater.

The Zilches sounds more like something I could imagine myself saying in future decades... but the Drearios sure has a ring to it!