by Allegra Silcox

Created on: February 09, 2010

Adjectives are versatile and often amorphous entities, constantly changing connotations through history and frequently varying in meaning from person to person at any one point in time. “Gay” is an infamous example of the drastic transformation a word can undergo; its one innocent meaning of “happy” is now almost exclusively a term for homosexuality or a generic insult to something one finds unsatisfactory, unusual, or displeasing. Differences in the perception of the meanings of adjectives can also occur with no change in time or era at all. For instance, a homely girl who is described as “cute” might be ecstatic, while a young girl might take offense at the description, thinking it demeans her attempts to appear older and more mature.

However, there are some adjectives that have only negative connotations, such as “evil”, or “shallow”. These two words may not seem to fit in the same category because of the drama associated with “evil”, while “shallow” has a pettier connotation. Well, rest assured that there is no redeeming quality in shallowness. A shallow person may, of course, have redeeming characteristics, but insofar as he/she is shallow, the negative connotation is irrefutable.

Shallow, referring to a descriptor of people, not physical depth of lakes and the like, is never used as a term of endearment or to remark on a positive aspect of someone’s personality. Why is this so? Examine what shallowness entails and the answer becomes understandable, if not plain.

One who does not exhibit the capacity to have serious thought is not one to be disparaged, for that would make people with Down’s Syndrome subjects of derision. But, when we couple this official definition of “shallow” with the “superficial” connotation it has, we get a picture that is altogether contrary to humanity’s conception of what makes its species superior- its rationality and its ability to exhibit morality. A person who shows neither depth of character nor thought is someone few could tolerate- unless said person were very rich or in politics, of course.

So why is the shallow, selfish teenaged figure of a movie, who invariably causes some sort of trouble with his/her shallow shenanigans, ubiquitously disliked? Because he/she lacks what we proudly proclaim distinguishes us from the lesser animals and therefore demeans what we understand to be human and therefore, good. Of course, these judgments are not usually conscious, and we might not realize why we feel so inclined to think ill of a person whose only crime seems to be lack of serious thought and/or character. After all, most would argue that a hateful nature is worse than a shallow one, yet we still count shallowness as a personality defect.

What makes people shallow? That is a different question altogether; however, it is certain that a shallow nature is loathed because of its direct confliction with our idea of a virtuous person.

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