love & language & love & language & love

I Challenge, Challenge

This blog will not be a ranting blog. That said…

There are so many descriptive words in the English language that can convey a mood, thought or sentiment. So why do we get so stuck on one over another? When did “challenging” become so fashionable? I don’t want to sound like Grandpa Simpson, but in my day, things were just hard, tough, difficult, crappy, a son of a bitch. Now, they’re “challenging.” We live in economically challenging times. That kid over there is ethically challenged. And that short guy is vertically challenged.

So what do you call something that’s “easy?” Non-challenging? Challengeless? No, because those sound stupid. You call easy, well… easy. Because easy is nice. Easy is desirable. Who doesn’t want easy?

But hard, tough, difficult? We need to cushion such words like a skydiver landing on a super-thick pillow of marshmallows. Which is similar to the effect that “challenging” has. It soothes you. You know what it means, but hey, it’s just challenging. You can handle that. Why, you can even deal with it later, because doesn’t something that’s challenging feel like something that you can put off, even if for a little bit? So I challenge you, “challenge.” Stop being so bland, lifeless and practically meaningless.

Like moving forward, or going forward. Who’s trying to go backward? I suspect these terms have oozed out from the corporate world, with their “forward-looking statements” and such.

Another amazing, and almost unbelievable, one is “disgorgement of funds.” Huh? I first read this nonsense in a major American newspaper, when referring to a corporate CEO who took money from his company without authorization. This CEO didn’t disgorge crap. He ripped off his company. He embezzled. He stole.

It feels like there’s a growing numbness in our society. A huge, concerted, though not necessarily conspiratorial, effort to lull everyone. “Gee, if I tell Bob he’s doing a sucky job in a bland and generic enough way, Bob will get my drift without me having to give him my drift.” Taking someone’s feelings into account is great (I wish more people did). But adding layers of HFCS to an already sugarcoated situation is not great. If you want to tell me something, just tell it to me. I’m a big boy. I can take it. Usually.

</Grandpa Simpson rant>

So what’s some of your favorite corporate and media gobbledygook?