Bad Writing

I was linked today to a very amusing article by Denis Dutton. Dutton, for a few years in the late 1990's, held an absolutely brilliant bad writing contest. And who were these bad writers whom Mr. Dutton was honoring for their dense, meaningless prose? Why, his very own colleagues -- college professors, mostly English professors, but some philosophy professors make it there, too.

Conveniently, Dutton wrote an essay explaining why he held this contest, an essay aptly named "Language Crimes." It is perhaps fitting that he targets English professors in particular, for these are the people who are supposed to be teaching students how to write -- while their own prose is sorely lacking in both style and, at times, real substance.

I should perhaps take offense at this (as some scholars certainly did). While I admit, there may be some need for technical language, is jargon really a requirement for everything? Is there truly a need for all of this obtuse prose? Do these theories really lose their power if explained in simpler, more accessible language?

To end with a couple of question: Do you think the winners of Dutton's Bad Writing Contest are samples of truly bad writing? Is bad writing a problem in academic writing?