Daily Inspiration Quote by Calvin Trillin

Trillin’s jab lands because it treats grammar not as a neutral toolkit but as a costume department. "Whom" becomes less a useful case marker than a prop you put on to signal class, education, and deference - the verbal equivalent of white gloves. The line is funny because it’s observably true in social life: people don’t reach for "whom" when they’re trying to be clear; they reach for it when they’re trying to be correct in public. That’s why the butler is the perfect target. A butler’s job is to make formality feel effortless while quietly reinforcing hierarchy. "Whom", in Trillin’s framing, does the same.

The specific intent isn’t to abolish grammar but to puncture the piety around it. Trillin writes as a journalist with a long-running interest in American manners, and he’s needling the way language becomes a gatekeeping mechanism - especially in institutions that prize polish: elite schools, editorial pages, corporate email, the courtroom. If you grew up speaking a version of English where "who" does the job, being told to use "whom" can feel like being told your natural voice is sloppy.

The subtext is a warning about performative correctness: the moment you deploy "whom", you’re often auditioning for authority. Trillin’s line invites readers to notice how quickly linguistic "rules" blur into etiquette - and how etiquette, in America, is frequently just power wearing a napkin.