Decline of ‘the luvvie’

In the wake of the Metoo movement, actors are reluctant to call each other “darling” for fear of misunderstanding. This seems cruel. It comes as naturally to the luvvie as the dog wagging its tail, and, like the wag, it can mean so much. “Oh, it’s you, darling!” (I cannot remember your name.) “You were fantastic, darling.” (Whoever you are, I was underwhelmed by your performance.) “No one plays King Lear quite like you, darling.” (You are the worst actor alive and I deserve all your awards.)

What will go next? The air kiss? Many will breathe a sigh of relief: one never knows which cheek to begin with or how many kisses to bestow, let alone if it is acceptable to grasp the other person’s shoulders for balance. But if even the handshake must cease, then maybe we should follow the sexual ethics of this brave new era back to where they apparently wish to go: the past. Surely the best way to introduce oneself is, like the Victorians, with a card? Of course, some pest will abuse even that, and distribute cards scrawled with indecent proposals.