&gt; I think calling clear and understandable writing for &quot;anti-intellectual&quot; is the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time.<p>&quot;Clear and understandable&quot; to who? Communication in general, and writing in particular, usually has a target audience. If your audience can grok[1] it, go for it!<p>As an extreme example, you cannot write a &quot;clear and understandable&quot; PhD thesis in Linguistics while avoiding five-dollar words (to borrow the term).<p>I think XKCD&#x27;s &quot;up-goer five&quot; is a suitable counter argument against words that are too simple to clearly communicate complex ideas succinctly. Jargon has its place in language.<p>1. Meta-excercise: attempt to use the word &#x27;grok&#x27; in casual conversation with a non-techie.