Banned Words

I find it interesting how institutions carve out odd niches for themselves. Lake Superior State University in Michigan has an annual rite of banning words, even though there is no particular reason that it should be the decider of what might well be cast out from our common linguistic life. Apparently the school takes nominations from the public at large. So we have the general populace of the world - whose collective wisdom has included the ascendancy of McDonalds and the Spice Girls - deciding on the tastefulness of language. Oh, my.

Some of the suggested excisions certainly had me applauding. For years I've hated the term "wordsmithing," often used by a certain type of pompous individual who simultaneously won't use something as plain as writing, but casts an attitude that the activity is nothing more than cleaning up and rearranging what the person set down as a first draft. Perfect storm, too, should be gone, as all manners of situations become one.

On using author as a verb, there was a funny quote: "In one of former TV commentator Edwin Newman's books, he wonders if it would be correct to say that someone 'paintered' a picture?"

But banning waterboarding? It seems to me that if the word seems overused, what should go is the practice, not the language. And using Black Friday as a retailing term? It's been around for years - the problem is that now people pay attention to it, particularly when the people are reporters who are forced to create some kind of news on a holiday weekend.

Celebrate Banned Book Week

It's well into the week, but never too late to read something other people don't want you to. Here's a link to the American Library Association site.