North Coast Online

Three Airmen Walked Into A Bar

Follow the link if the excerpt interests you, but first let's consider how political correctness has mangled the English language.

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany — A Spangdahlem-based airman was sentenced Monday to four months confinement for her part in a sexual act with two other airmen.

Got that?  An airman was sentenced for "her" role in a sexual act with two other airmen.  You probably won't be surprised to learn that one of the other airmen was a woman, too.  The third was, indeed, an air "man."   So, at least there was some measure of diversity, though I'm not too sure about equal opportunity -- but, I digress.

Once upon a time, women who saw to the safety and comfort of airline passengers were known as stewardesses, and men performing the same service were stewards.  But at some point, the word "stewardess" fell out of favor as somehow demeaning to women and an entirely new term, "flight attendant" was coined.  That's fine, but why do we now have to use two words when the concept had previously been expressed more clearly by only one?

In Britain, the terms manageress and doctoress still have wide usage, and why not?  Each provides much more information than its sexless counterpart.  I, for example, might prefer a doctor or a doctoress in different situations.  How handy to know right up front? 

I really can't understand the feminist insistence (and this does all stem from seventies feminism)  that references to sex be expunged from the language.  I mean, they really weren't done away with, the terms for men were simply expanded to include women.  How odd.   

For example, I work with a woman who volunteers for her village fire department.  She's quite proud of that (rightfully so) and her truck even bears a bumpersticker proclaiming that "Real Women Drive Fire Trucks".   But don't you dare utter the word "fireman" in her presence or she'll shoot you a withering glare and correct you with the proper accepted term, "firefighter". 

If you were to refer to her as a firewoman -- and none of has dared yet -- she'd likely be deeply offended, probably angry and (we fear) perhaps even refer the matter to HR.  But if you're proud to be a woman who drives fire trucks, how could it possibly be insulting to be called a firewoman?  It would only accentuate the accomplishment of taking on a job once reserved for men.

I'd have thought that a positive. OK, enough language, class dismissed.  Now, go read the story about the three airmen having sex.

Why Not Just Call It Sponging?

If CoyoteBlogger owned a newspaper, the term "public service" as a synonym for a government career would be banned.

The English As She Is Spoken

Katie Couric is demolishing the English language.

"Sadr has been laying low since the troop surge began…." (April 9, 2007.) Should be "lying low." We'll review lie and lay—but not today.

It's probably the least of her problems, but read the whole thing, um, the entire post.

 

What A Mental Image That Must Have Created

Language Log has a fascinating round-up of the world's confusion in trying to understand Don Imus's remarks.  Hint:  nappy, when looked up in a British dictionary is defined as "diaper".

Our Evolving (Devolving?) Language

From The Volokh Conspiracy -- how the meaning ancient terms can be changed in a generation by the common culture.  To wit, nimrod.  Follow the links at the post, for obvious reasons.

Our Changing Language

When did doctors' offices become medical campuses?

For Want Of A Word

The Buffalopundit once accused me of favoring a sort of right-wing political correctness because I had criticized some over-the-top personal insult of a Republican by a Democrat.  I don't even remember the particular slur (and in all fairness I'm mentioning it without providing a link,) but it is true that I have often bemoaned the growing coarseness of political speech in this country.

Now, I've never suggested that such vulgar speech should be made illegal, I've simply offered that it should be condemned.  And though it pains me to admit it, that may indicate that I'm beginning to slide into fuddy-duddiness.  Maybe, in my advancing years, I've grown out of touch with a society that now prefers to tell it "like it is" (or like it thinks it is) and I'm going to try my hardest to learn to adapt to the new order.  But I'm aware that just saying it doesn't make it so; no, it requires action.

And so tonight, to officially mark the turnover of my new crudeness-tolerant leaf, I'm not going to criticize Ann Coulter for not calling John Edwards a faggot. Yes, it's true that he isn't; it's true that she hurt the conservative movement by making her crude little joke and it's true that she is all about her. 

But who am I to criticize someone else's "life" decisions?  To do so would be to impose my own standards of political correctness and besides, the left has already created the official version.  In the end, Ann's problem isn't due so much to crudeness as it is to a lack of nuanced descriptive nouns in American English.  Our English cousins have the right word, le mot juste, if you will.  The term Ann was looking for to not insult Edwards was "Nancy." 

John Edwards is a big Nancy.

[UPDATE:]  I also will refrain from criticizing Bill Maher's remarks that the World would be a safer place had Cheney died in Afghanistan.

English, Language the

English is a wonderful language:  so easy to manipulate and so easy to screw up.  Y'know, it really is OK to end a sentence with a preposition.  As illustrated in this passage from California's Antelope Valley Press.

California has upwards of 33 million inhabitants, with more arriving every day. Freeways are jammed. Airports are crowded. Something has to be done to move around all these Californians.

And it has.  Just ask the residents of Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Oregon.  They've moved around those Californians pretty effectively.  No high-speed rail required, thank you very much.

Buzzwords

I don't care if I ever hear the word "stakeholder" again.

English As She Is Spoken

I suspect that Jason Feldman, Park School 1994 has something important to say about our health, in fact you can tell that he's passionate on the subject.  But his meaning is lost in a forest of buzzwords, jargon, educratese and plain old boilerplate.

A sampling:

• emerging field of population-environment interactions
• at-risk groups
• illness based on gender, income and migration dynamics
• Hispanic Serving Health Profession Schools
• mitigate hazards while supporting the natural systems

• A city's vitality requires pedestrian safeguards, health access points, reliable services and a sense of meaningful participation for its residents.

• it becomes critical to re-examine our approach to managing human security

• integrated emergency preparedness across state and interterritorial water systems

• healthy spatial designs foster lifestyle improvements, neighborhood safety and institutional networks.

• universal commitment from all

Grade: C-.

The spelling is perfect and the proper rules of punctuation are followed throughout, well done on that score.  But tell me what you're trying to say, boy! 

This is college catalog crap that ends up explaining nothing.  Did no one ever, back in high school, make you write a short news story in language that an eighth grader could understand?  If you're writing for your health industry peers, then this might be OK.  But when you write for a big-city newspaper, then think back to those eighth-graders because Chaucer's more intelligible than this collection of words.

Get a Thesaurus, rewrite the piece in normal English, try it out on your mom until she can tell you what she thinks you said somewhat accurately and resubmit.  No penalty this time and we really are looking forward to hearing your ideas, son -- but this time, in English as she is spoken. Please.

And what the hell are migration dynamics anyway?