December 05, 2009
Perversions Of The Language
Read Mark Falcoff's piece at NRO on how langauge has been twisted to obscure, rather than clarify. I have a few more terms:
Disenfranchise. The franchise is, of course, the right to vote. When one is disenfranchised, a person loses one's right to vote, such as when an otherwise eligible voter is convicted of a felony in most states. The term has been used to describe anyone at some disadvantage, usually a "victim" of some circumstance or another bemoaned by the Left.
Chair. Not the piece of furniture, but the head of a committee, board, or department, formerly described as the chairman. I do see any reason why a woman occupying such a position cannot be referred to the chairman, rather than the more awkward "chairwoman" which is more preferable than calling her an inanimate object. My alma mater dodged the feminists for years by using the term "Department Head."
Our diversity is our strength. This term is used entirely in the context of discrete and insular minorities (especially of the liberal sort), sounds great, and means nothing. Try "diversity is our strength" in the context of differing opinions and political views and watch how quickly opposing views (especially those of a conservative bent) become "hate speech."
C.E. as in Common Era in the calendar context, rather than A.D. , the abbreviation for the Latin term meaning "In the Year of Our Lord." The West adopted the Gregorian calendar centuries ago which is used even in areas which are not predominantly Christian. This was the rage for a while, but seems to be fading into disuse.
Feel free to offer your own suggestions.
Yips! from Robbo: What better one for the season than "Happy Holidays"? I had a young colleague tell me recently that her favorite seasonal teevee special was always PBS's "Arthur" because it showed that there really is no difference among Christmas, Hanukkah and "Kwanzaa". (Which is another way of saying that none of them means anything, of course.)
(And sooper-sekret message to the LMC - there's more for you in the Tasty Bits (TM) Mail Sack.)
Posted by LMC at December 5, 2009 06:26 AM | TrackBackAs with C.E. instead of A.D., B.C.E. ("Before Common Era") is coterminous with B.C. but emphasizes a different perception of the world.
Posted by: Ed Flinn at December 5, 2009 08:20 AMI would add several:
Let us speak plainly:
#1. "Pro-Choice" or "Choice" - meaning "Pro-Abortion". NARAL will support the abortion, but not the choice to have the child, or the notion that society, through its elected representatives, will determine the appropiateness of intentionally terminating a child prior to birth. The term is never used to imply choice in non-abortion areas such as whether to use public funds for primary or secondary education.
#2. Abortion. (See #1). If abortion is not a dirty word, then why not say it plainly (Planned Parenthood)? If the spoken term makes people uncomfortable, then why is that? Because it is wrong?
#3. "Open Minded". Meaning willing or likely to adapt a liberal position. The opposite of course is "Close Minded".
#4. "Rigid (syn: Closed Minded)" - unwilling to compromise ones values. My favorite retort to being called 'Rigid' is "If I am rigid, then you are.... malleable?"
Posted by: kmr at December 5, 2009 02:47 PMWhat better one for the season than "Happy Holidays"? I had a young colleague tell me recently that her favorite seasonal teevee special was always PBS's "Arthur" because it showed that there really is no difference among Christmas, Hanukkah and "Kwanzaa". (Which is another way of saying that none of them means anything, of course.)
She must recoil in horror at The Charlie Brown Christmas.
Anno Domini ad Eternum
Posted by: Terrapod at December 6, 2009 08:09 AM"Disadvantaged", as in certain segments of our population are disadvantaged.
Well of course. If someone has an advantage, then another will be at a disadvantage. The person up 40-15 in a tennis game has an advantage, the other is disadvantaged.
Posted by: rbj at December 8, 2009 04:54 PM
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