If someone can't explain the basics of something in very plain English , in less than 4 simple sentences , they are lying or don't understand themselves what they are talking about . Likely both .
Speak plain and stand up while you are doing it . It really throws people off .
There is a meme "you don't really mean that" and "yes , I do"
"This war is fought with words." No. It isn't. This is a bunch of bullshit that doesn't address reality. This war is being fought by people controlling various levers of power in the US and UK. Our war is being fought, and currently won, by lobbyists and PACs that control our legislators and the people who are supposed to run our nations for our people. The troubles we find ourselves are not complicated.
I like this piece. I think jargon plays different roles depending on its context. In the military, for example, where the need to be able to operate highly specialized equipment and perform highly specialized tasks is paramount, jargon can be useful. In education (where I work) jargon is employed to obscure the fact that the speaker is saying nothing of value, is capable of saying nothing of value, and is insecure about their profession, such that they need to pretend that a soft science is a hard science by camouflaging common sense in words laymen don't know.
Nice piece.
There is a sub-species of jargon called “scientism” which is the most lethal.
It can render almost anyone speechless and defenseless in 10 syllables or fewer.
A friend who worked on Harry Potter movies explained the spell gag - a Greek or Latin prefix, and a mismatched language suffix.
Pure magic.
Consider the obvious phrase “sad sissy” (my bullied childhood up to the massive testosterone bath which hit at age 11)
dysphoria -> dysferonia -> unhappy
Puerile -> paedile -> childish
Paedile dysferonia -> VERY SERIOUS childhood unhappiness woo woo
Gender-based paedile dysferonia -> call an ambulance!
10 syllables for “sad sissy”
You can play the game all night.
The opposite is “National Geographic Title” game which involves phrases like “The Amazing Potato”, or “The Sea” or even “Fireflies”
Excellent insight
You say traductions, I say traducements, let's keep this whole thing going for as long as possible.
If someone can't explain the basics of something in very plain English , in less than 4 simple sentences , they are lying or don't understand themselves what they are talking about . Likely both .
Speak plain and stand up while you are doing it . It really throws people off .
There is a meme "you don't really mean that" and "yes , I do"
"This war is fought with words." No. It isn't. This is a bunch of bullshit that doesn't address reality. This war is being fought by people controlling various levers of power in the US and UK. Our war is being fought, and currently won, by lobbyists and PACs that control our legislators and the people who are supposed to run our nations for our people. The troubles we find ourselves are not complicated.
I like this piece. I think jargon plays different roles depending on its context. In the military, for example, where the need to be able to operate highly specialized equipment and perform highly specialized tasks is paramount, jargon can be useful. In education (where I work) jargon is employed to obscure the fact that the speaker is saying nothing of value, is capable of saying nothing of value, and is insecure about their profession, such that they need to pretend that a soft science is a hard science by camouflaging common sense in words laymen don't know.
Insightful, down-to-earth, brilliant... I find myself thinking Western civilization may very well have to relive the last 2,000 years. Give or take.