Don’t you love buzzwords? A word or phrase grabs hold of the lexicon and its use becomes ubiquitous in everyday life. Worse yet, it starts to creep into the barrage of advertising that we endure daily. At first they’re cute and as we try to show our hipness we try to incorporate them in our own daily conversation. Before you know it, you’re sitting around in a Pampered Chef or Tupperware party or Saturday night poker game and the occasion arises where almost everyone on cue blurts out, “Duh!” Everyone chuckles, but secretly folks think, at least I do, “Man, has this been overworked.”
My personal buzzword annoyances are “weird trick,” most often used to get you to click on some scam internet site promising hair growth, libido enhancement, or stock market riches. “The next level” promises to take you from whatever level you’re at to, yes, the “next level,” like fabulous investment returns, dating success, or from your parents basement to your own apartment (yes I know there are no basements in California).
“Sustainable” is a beauty! Something that’s sustainable means once put in motion it just keeps going. Unsustainable means once put in motion, guess what. All you have to do is decree something’s sustainable and you have the Holy Grail, manna, free energy. Well it’s all crap, and let me string a few buzzwords together for your entertainment.
Sacramento has found a weird trick. The taxpayer is a sustainable source for funneling money to crony capitalists and we’re going to take it to the next level. Duh! Please apply liberally to your own experience. You’re welcome.
This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2017.