The News-Gazette.com Weblog

Against the tide

LSSU--Releases annual list of banished words

Posted by: Rhonda Robinson

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 10:42 AM

"UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN -- "If they haven't followed the law to get here, they are by definition 'illegal.' It's like saying a drug dealer is an 'undocumented pharmacist.'" -- John Varga, Westfield, New Jersey."

Lake Superior State University has released its 32 annual "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness."

When you consider the culture wars are largely fought with words meant to paint the issue in the favorable light of a particular side, I thought this University's spin was a breath of fresh air, and great for a chuckle or two. Here are a couple of my favorites on the list.

AWESOME -- "That a mop, a deodorant or a dating service can be called 'awesome' demonstrates the limited vocabularies of the country's copywriters." -- Tom Brinkmoeller, Orlando, Florida.

Apparently, this word has been banished before, and has been on probation since 1984, now they say there is no hope and it's time for full banishment.

I will comply with this one, with my head hung low. I have been guilty of its abuse as well. The defense will plead that it is symptom of living with several teenagers in the house at once.

GITMO -- The US military's shorthand for a base in Cuba drives a wedge wider than a split infinitive.

"When did the notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base change to 'Gitmo,' a word that conjures up an image of a fluffy and sweet character from a Japanese anime show?" -- Marcus W., St. Louis, Missouri.

Not me. It conjures up Jack Nicholson in his role as Col. Jessep saying, " Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? & I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. &And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it&"

And of course the scene is punctuated with, "I want the truth! You can't handle the truth!"

GITMO still works.

However, I do have a couple of my own.

"IN HARM'S WAY"-- as it has replaced "serving our country". How many thousands of kids do we have going to schools that place them "in harms way"? A kid playing in the street is in harms way. Our troops, our police, and our firefighters are proud men and women who serve their community and their country by protecting us, and keeping us from harm's way. I say- not only does it not fit, but it is demeaning to their profession-- banish it.

"UNPOPULAR WAR"– as opposed to a popular war?

War is where our sons go to fight for their lives--and ours. In the current political and social climate I don't see any war being supported unless our shores and boarders are being invaded&oh, wait–bad analogy.