Trendy Words I Do Not Like

[fishbrains]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

Not for statistics! That meaning is clear and useful. I'm with you in spirit otherwise, and would like to say the same about "nimble".

Okay, but please use it behind closed doors, and never around administrators.

[mamselle]

But you know, a preacher one day used it of the Holy Spirit, which delighted me.

A nimble spirit, one that gets around and sees to things, isn't bound by the stuff that gets us down...or not in the same way.

Still makes me smile.

M.

[jimbogumbo]

But you know, a preacher one day used it of the Holy Spirit, which delighted me.

A nimble spirit, one that gets around and sees to things, isn't bound by the stuff that gets us down...or not in the same way.

Still makes me smile. As fishbrains noted, admin not so much.

M.

Preacher, fine. As

[mahagonny]

"Orwellian."

I think even George would say, "Enough, now" at this point.

Are you even serious? I couldn't possibly disagree more. It's been a few years, but you know, when I read 'Animal Farm' it struck me as deadly serious. Unless my English teacher was dead wrong that is.  Not only that, but the failure of the populace, including the well educated (looking at you, bongo) to understand that no one can be exempt from reasonable suspicion enabled the whole mess.

[mahagonny]

Well, we can both speculate on what he would say about today. It's fun.

[mamselle]

Yes, but you've got Weill's dystopian moniker in the race, so it's not quite a fair fight.

M.

[mahagonny]

I'll change it then. What would you like me to be called?

[dismalist]

"Orwellian."

I think even George would say, "Enough, now" at this point.

There has indeed been an explosion in use of "orwellian". I noticed it myself and it can be verified with Ngram. This word jarred my thoughts on why I am so interested in trendy words. I like "orwellian"! I'm guessing that someone who is less enthusiastic than I am about the word will also be less enthusiastic about my political views. I'm further guessing that the use of many of the words discussed on this thread are used most frequently by identifiable groups of people. Some words are like badges.

There is a tragic story recounted by Arthur Koestler of a young communist woman, who was interrogated by the Gestapo. The head man was just about to let her go, thinking his underlings had been overly zealous. Then, in answer to a question, the woman uttered a sentence containing the word "concrete". The head man's ears pricked up. At the time the word "concrete" was pretty much restricted in use to communist circles. He asked her where she had picked up the word, she got flustered and confessed to whatever she was accused of.

Not all the words discussed here will have such serious implications. Some of them would only force one to confess that one had gone to B-school or that one is an administrator! :-)

[mahagonny]

Well it's been half a day waiting already. I guess I won't be getting a new name.  [sigh]

allyship

[mahagonny]

social justice

The person using this term these days all too often thinks that his idea of justice is the correct one and the person who disagrees with his terms under which justice would be accomplished is evil. Instead of reality, which is that each individual has his or her idea of what justice should look like, and we all ought to be able to remember that.

I think this used to be called liberalism. The ability to remember that you are just one citizen and one mind who lives in a free society.

One of my provosts has announced that the diversity staff or some groovy people, I forget exactly who, are soon going to make curriculum recommendations (changes) to reflect social justice concerns.

He doesn't get it.

[dismalist]

Now that I use ngram, I have discovered that use of most [well, many] words I don't like really took off in or just after 1980.

Why might that be?

[mahagonny]

Now that I use ngram, I have discovered that use of most [well, many] words I don't like really took off in or just after 1980.

Why might that be?

Well, maybe 'advocate' is an annoying ngram, but only when it's part of 'advocate for' which is a bigram...?

There has indeed been an explosion in use of "orwellian". I noticed it myself and it can be verified with Ngram. This word jarred my thoughts on why I am so interested in trendy words. I like "orwellian"! I'm guessing that someone who is less enthusiastic than I am about the word will also be less enthusiastic about my political views. I'm further guessing that the use of many of the words discussed on this thread are used most frequently by identifiable groups of people. Some words are like badges.

Increasingly, we just annoy each other, sorted by tribes, and the words (badges) show which tribe you're a member of. The tribe that hates the term 'systemic racism' squares off against the tribe that hates the term 'virtue signaling' and they spot each other instantly through their diction.
It's even worse in the media. This article in the New Yorker makes a point of showing its antipathy, dismissive attitude for the parents, while playing dumb (barely bothering to hide their antipathy). It's snide through and through. I find it bone chilling. They wouldn't have written that way in the nineties. I admit being on the side of the parents. But something has shifted. That's the point.

https://outline.com/stat1k/kDF9S5.html

[little bongo]

Mahagonny is right about no one being exempt from suspicion. It's true about any system of rules and trying to sort out right and wrong. And yes, I sometimes wonder if some random thing I say in class could become some kind of viral meme with disastrous consequences. But I take what I like about what woke folks say, and I leave the rest behind. And I'm always inspired by something Dr. Sidney Friedman said to Col. Potter on M*A*S*H*-- "Don't let your fear make the decision for you."

Also, I have three suggestions for renaming Mahagonny:
1) Studhoss
2) Skeezix
3) Ecdysiast

Although if he's done a GCF, I guess it's moot.

[apl68]

Mahagonny is right about no one being exempt from suspicion. It's true about any system of rules and trying to sort out right and wrong. And yes, I sometimes wonder if some random thing I say in class could become some kind of viral meme with disastrous consequences. But I take what I like about what woke folks say, and I leave the rest behind. And I'm always inspired by something Dr. Sidney Friedman said to Col. Potter on M*A*S*H*-- "Don't let your fear make the decision for you."

Also, I have three suggestions for renaming Mahagonny:
1) Studhoss
2) Skeezix
3) Ecdysiast

Although if he's done a GCF, I guess it's moot.

Please don't use "Skeezix!"  Somebody very dear to me has sometimes used that nickname for me, and I'd hate to have...other associations added to it.

[cascade]

bespoke