

The world through rose-colored blinders - interconnector
http://engineering.stanford.edu/news/world-through-rose-colored-blinders-new-mathematical-model-how-society-becomes-polarized

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leed25d
"THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED BLINDERS: A NEW MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR HOW
SOCIETY BECOMES POLARIZED"

I have a problem with the mixed metaphor in the title. You do not look through
blinders, they are opaque. They are meant to block the line of sight, their
color is immaterial but it is usually black.

Glasses on, the other hand are translucent and may be tinted. The idiom of
'rose-colored glasses' is supposed to suggest that if someone looks at --or
[another idiom] thinks about, that is to say looks at with the mind's eye--
something with rose-colored glasses then they think that it is more pleasant
than it really is.

Normally I wouldn't be as picky as this, but the linked reference is supposed
to be a scholarly work from a leading educational institution. I mean we might
have to tolerate something like this from a proprietary "University" like The
University of Phoenix or Capella University or ITT Technical Institute, but
from Stanford? Come on, give me a break, OK? Get your ducks in a row --that's
an idiom, too.

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pranav99
(I am a co-author on the paper).

Your criticism of the title is valid.

But re: your line "the linked reference is supposed to be a scholarly work
from a leading educational institution"

Note that the bad title belongs to an article written for the popular media
(and written by non-experts). It is not the title of the "scholarly work" that
the article describes. The scholarly work
(<http://stanford.edu/~ppd/papers/pnas-polarization.pdf>) has a pretty dry
title that no one in the popular media would use.

I am not condoning the mistake, just pointing that it is less egregious than
what you seem to be implying.

~~~
leed25d
I guess I was a little confused about the title of your work, Pranav, as
opposed to the title of the article about your work. I still think the the
author of the news article should hang his head in shame. (Actually, think
that your title has a rather nice ring to it)

