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What’s in a Word?
Way back when way down yonder in New Orleans a weekly football rag was devoured by rabid NFL/Saints fans. It was called Gridweek.
Its tagline was “Gridweek tells it like it is.” And for a fledgling football franchise that was run as poorly off of the field as it ran on the field “like it is” was straight pain with no Novocaine.
Gridweek delivered the news with no spoon full of sugar to make the medicine go down, the medicine go down. Of course, that was when we didn’t sugarcoat matters at hand.
And, it was before we knew how bad sugar was for you. So, many healthy folks switched to salads and the like. And, now we get our info/news/talking points delivered to our internet-connected devices as a word salad.
George Carlin saw this coming long ago. He detailed the obvious in a humorous way better than anyone. And, this two-minute must-see video takes us through wars that caused “shellshock” to “post-traumatic stress disorder” with steps along the way.
He said Americans don’t like reality and have trouble handling the truth. Isn’t that the truth?
Sweeping the out-of-control national debt under the rug yearly as it grows nearly geometrically is but one example.
How about when abortion was an abortion? Then it became pro-choice. A few years passed and it was women’s rights, then women’s wellness, then women’s healthcare, and today it’s women’s reproductive rights.
It’s so much softer as George said. And, to boot, you can have Planned Parenthood helping you along the way. None of the above sounds like you end up being a parent, but we digress.
A fib, a falsehood, and a “big fat lie” became “a little fib” or ” a little white lie.” Is a “white lie” racist? We digress again. Now it’s “misinformation.” “Misinformation” has morphed into actually anything that anyone says that you disagree with.
This misinformation caused such harm ten years back that we created “safe spaces.” Safe spaces are more word salad. I don’t like what you’re saying, go away.
Have you ever seen a safe space? Been to one? Created one? Apparently, they are quite mobile, too.
You don’t die anymore either. You “pass away.” Father Time remains undefeated though. Everyone (except maybe one) and everything that has walked on terra firma has died or will die.
Sins were once venial and mortal. Of course, that was when the Catholics thought God could park the people he was undecided about in purgatory. That’s the one and the only thing that the Vatican has done right in the last 25 years. It dumped purgatory. Now it’s either the stairway to heaven or the steps down to hell.
Everyone sitting in limbo, get out! That bum rush for the door must have looked like our southern border does today.
Speaking of “bums” or “hobos,” well you can’t speak of them anymore. Red Skelton would be out of a job. They’re homeless now, or underserved, or have food insecurities.
If you had food insecurity you used to be able to get “food stamps.” No more. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program going. Notice it’s nutrition now, not food. You can get fed in a “SNAP.”
You can put lipstick on a pig too, but it’s still a pig.
You can pour so much window dressing on a word salad that it makes the lettuce float.
But, it’s still a word salad world and we’re all just living in it.
Comment section
Engage. Enrage. Enjoy.
I’m taking a mental health day after reading this article.
Oh boy. Another good one. Pass the hummus and tofu, please.
If you make something up? is it an original thought? is a made up thought your truth? And if so, can something false an inaccurate end up being someone’s truth? Or as you said so eloquently, just misinformation.
This is the word salad of our moment. Nobody calls someone a liar anymore. No one labels someone dishonest or conniving. Why, because that would be hate speech. And everyone knows how that plays.
Biden makes something up daily. Ti’s an original thought in his feeble mind. His son died in Iraq. He was the captain of his football team. He got straight A’s. He’s either lying or engaging in misinformation.
Hate speech. That’s another good one. It used to be called differing views.
I remember when being on a debate team was an honor and thought of as healthy to engage in. Now, it’s hateful or misinfo.
Of course, the word salad knife has two edges. Abortion and shellshock become pregnant person’s rights and PTSD to soften the blow. However, global warming became climate change and is now climate crisis. The agenda dictates which word salad you shall consume.
It’s a salad bar. There’s plenty for all.
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