It’s not productive to complain about the degeneration of the English language. Even the clever bemoaners don’t slow down the process, and most of the protesters are not clever.

Anyone who understands word origin or how grammar works appreciates the significance of those processes, but that appreciation is probably best enjoyed in private; it bores people who don’t share it.

Even so, I want to take a few sentences to acknowledge the precision of the (fast-disappearing) double negative.

The fact is, “I don’t got no apples,” means you have some.

There’s a big difference between “I’m not disinclined to go with you to the movies” and “I want to go with you to the movies.” “I don’t dislike chicken” is never the same as “I like chicken.”

If that isn’t sufficient argument to retain the deliberate double negative, perhaps this is: As we’ve all seen in the last several decades, the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend.