Euphemisms of the Politically Correct Persuasion

[Turtle]

OUT: evolution

 

IN: biological changes over time

[mynah]

In South Africa we frequently have to do without electricity. This is not caused by power failures, the Government assures us, but by "load shedding as an unforeseen consequence of rapid economic growth".

[mynah]

IN: Edentulous

OUT: Gap-toothed

[Turtle]

OUT: Tastes like dirt!

 

IN: Earthy flavor!

[Count]

OUT: Euphemism

IN: unoffensive alternative

[mynah]

OUT: Plane crash

IN: Uncontrolled descent

[HydrogenBond]

The older terms are more to the point, but don't try to spare feelings. The modern approach tries to spare feelings by making the term nebulous. The wife may ask, do I look fat in this dress? The male can't be too direct, to avoid hurting her feelings. He has to come up with an answer that sounds sincere without expressing the hard reality in practical terms. There is a reality gap created, since the emotional fuzzy is designed to gloss over reality for something more wishful that spares feelings.

 

Let's apply the emotional correctness technique to science. One astronomer misaligns his telescope and appears to see a new star. He asks his associate, is this a new star?. The other scientist sees the alignment is wrong, but wishing to spare his feelings, says, that is the best alignment I ever saw. Wow, you can really find those new stars. This makes the first scientist feel good, so he decides to publish his results. The review board can either spare his feelings or confront hard reality. If they spare his feelings, because the sensitivity police are watching, we have new data being published that is misleading. If they confront the error, they are called mean. How dare they hurt his feelings with trivial reality.

 

There is another angle based on the saying "coining a phrase". The analogy is the new phrase is sort of like money. One has to admit, the poetic metering of some of these new phrases, makes better music than the old l down to business terms. Many people like the new jingle, making this nicer melody the basis for their judgement. For example, have a Coke. How about, have a Coke and a smile. All of a sudden the new jingle made the same product appear like it was improved. Nothing has really changed accept the better jiggle fluffs up reality with an emotional song.

 

One my favorite medical jingle buzz words is syndrome. Just add that word to any study and all of a sudden it magically appears to say more. Joe likes to drink too much, is sort of boring. He has alcoholic syndrome, is better since it sound more official. We can make it even more melodious if we need mass appeal, i.e., larger coinage. One way is to make sure the first letter in each word of the phrase adds up to a clear acronym, that is easy to remember, so people can chant it . We can use alcoholic sublimation syndrome (A.S.S). This melody movement was probably learned from decades of mass marketing and watching too much TV. It is now being applied to almost everything, with selling something in mind.

[mynah]

I was puzzled for a few seconds by a sign in a local beauty clinic offering "circumference reduction". What is wrong with "losing weight", and what is the point if potential clients don't realise that that was what you meant?

[alexander]

people who don't get laid - sexually challenged

[alexander]

illegally detained person (most cases) - terrorist

[alexander]

bullshitting - social interaction

[InfiniteNow]

people who don't get laid - sexually challenged

 

Oh, and all this time I thought the word for that was "programmers." :confused:

[alexander]

many words for that:

physicists

mathematicians

kernel developers

bloggers

spammers

camera operators for porn movies

.... list goes on

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Turtle-

OUT: Tastes like dirt!

 

IN: Earthy flavor!

 

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm:)

 

Alex Alex Alex.....geeeeesh...........

 

OUT- Seriously F***ed up

IN- Delitefully derainged :hihi:

[mynah]

Just read an advice column with the phrase "inappropriate elimination".

 

Turned out to mean your dog pees on the carpet.:rolleyes:

[Turtle]

OUT: slave trade

 

IN: Atlantic triangular trade

[Eclogite]

wife: "Does my *** look big in this dress?"

Me: "Your *** looks big in anything."

 

Some days I just don't care.