Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan has released its annual list of words that it would like to see “banished”. This is in no way an actual banishment of the words or phrases, but rather a list that nominees feel are overused, improper or just plain useless.
The list contains phrases like “zero percent APR financing”. Truthfully, the phrase could be much more simply stated as “no interest”.
Other phrases topping the list are:
“Wardrobe malfunction”
“You’re fired!” (And accompanying hand gesture)
“Red/Blue states”
“Journey”
There are other words, and you can find the complete article here: Link Or another one here: Link
There is one word whose banishment I really take exception to, and that is “blog”. To quote the article:
“BLOG – and its variations, including blogger, blogged, blogging, blogosphere. Many who nominated it were unsure of the meaning. Sounds like something your mother would slap you for saying.
“Sounds like a Viking’s drink that’s better than grog, or a technique to kill a frog.” Teri Vaughn, Anaheim, Calif.
“Maybe it’s something that would be stuck in my toilet.” – Adrian Whittaker, Dundalk, Ontario. “I think the words ‘journal’ and ‘diary’ need to come back.” – T. J. Allen, Shreveport, La.”
So…you don’t know what the word means therefore it should be banished? That’s some of the worst logic I’ve ever heard, especially when blogging is not making its way into the mainstream – it’s here.
Blogging is changing the face of journalism and business and altering the way we communicate thoughts and ideas to our fellow humans across the globe. Here are links to four articles that describe the changes in journalism and business because of blogging.
Blogging: the new journalism? (2003): Link
Forum: How blogging changed journalism – almost (2003): Link
The Bottom Line on Business Blogs (2004): Link
HP Quietly Begins Blogging (2004): Link
These articles are from 2003 and 2004, so why the ban on the word blog for 2005 and why is it that some people still don’t know what it means? Allow me to quote from the Entrepreneur.com article:
“What? You're not familiar with blogs? Then let me explain. Blogs are self-published chronicles of ideas, news, facts, opinions and inspirations that are frequently updated. The term, which stands for ‘Web log,’ was coined in 1999 and has caught on like wildfire. There are now about 4 million blogs on the Internet.”
I’d be willing to bet there are more than 4 million blogs out there now.
I may not be a huge fan of – for example - “izzle” speak myself (one of the banished words), but I would not seek to ban its use. In addition, I don’t really understand why phrases like “enemy combatant” or “safe and effective” should be on anyone’s hit list. It seems the ban on these phrases comes more from a lack of understanding of their meaning than from “uselessness” of the phrase.
We can argue semantics all day and night if you like, and in the end there will be phrases that some like and others don’t. Some phrases that have little to no meaning and yet are in mainstream use every day. It is good to have open communication about these things, but if we can’t use the words then we can’t properly communicate about it, can we?
Admittedly, the article was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but you can bet that somewhere, someone is telling someone else they can’t use a word or phrase because it has been “banished”. Because they can’t understand the word? No, because they don’t want to.
Call it an “electronic journal” or an “online diary”, but take it away and the Internet will be filled with a resounding silence while next door neighbors lose the ability to communicate because they can’t understand the words coming off of each others lips and fingertips.
Fight the good fight. Do not allow our ability to communicate with one another be decimated by some pompous fools with a semantics fetish.
Blog on, humans!!