Inane Words, Terms, and Fallacies - by Hénock Gugsa

 

Inane Words, Terms, and Fallacies
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by Hénock Gugsa
It is unavoidable, it is persistent, and it never fails to offend or aggravate. It is the abundance in our daily lexicon of silly and sometimes stupid words, terms, or labels to describe (?) or to represent things or ideas. Fortunately, most of these offenders go away as they wear away due to over-usage or to going out of favor. Old cliches get replaced by new ones. But the drumbeat never ceases as we are stuck with clueless politicians (tongue-waggers), nonreactive government bureaucracy, and the mindless and noisy media.

What am I ranting about now? Well, then, let me dive straight into it.

At the top of my list is the term: diaspora. What a stupefying and moronic word despite its lofty pretentiousness! It is a term currently used by petty dictators in third-world countries (and there is another doozy of a term) to describe thousands of expatriates. This group was either expelled or fled their homeland for political or economic reasons. Ironically, despite the animosity between the 'exiled' and the 'dictator', the former is propping up the latter by sending funds to families and friends in dire economic need. “Diaspora”, despite its simple Greek etymology, sounds like something that was regurgitated by a bovine.

Next is the word: alien. It is a term used by immigration bureaucracies to describe non-citizens. It does not matter if you are visiting or passing thru. A short or a long stay will require the “alien” to have proper documentation, and the authorities are not really trying to find out what “planet” the visitors came from or if they have antennae sticking out of their heads.

Here is a puzzling word: confab. Yes, it is short for confabulation, and means chat or discussion. But in its abbreviated form, does it not sound banal or even mildly negative in its informality? Can you take any news of a confab somewhere seriously? “Confab” is definitely an inane word, in my opinion.

“PC” – is a term I personally prefer to exclusively stand for personal computer. However, there is a solid contingent of social architects for whom “pc” means “political correctness.” Personally, I think the latter term’s use and over-use has been the most irritating thorn in current social mores. It has resulted in so much negative political outcomes. The public is openly and justifiably rebelling against any patronizing and/or suffocating set of social commandments dictated by “pc”.

Micromanaging (or micro-manager) – to me represents an inefficient person who neither trusts his/her colleagues nor is satisfied with the work of others. A micro-manager is even sometimes found meddling in some areas in which he/she has zero expertise. Pity the over-worked specialist who has to waste his/her time giving tutorials to the tiresome micro-manager!

Lastly, for now, I have for you the word: indigent. A supremely infrequent yet euphemistic term meaning the poor and the destitute, it nonetheless evokes an image of a weed-like plant. Oh, well, at least an indigent is not an alien … or is it? :)

America : "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly" - by TPO

America
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
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by TPO

Way back in 1966, an unabashed Italian film director named Sergio Leone made or remade a very entertaining, yet dramatically uncomplicated movie called, “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo.” The English translation of that title, “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,” is, in my opinion effectively attention-grabbing enough as well. But I’m not here to do a movie review. I do, however, wish to say that the title as well as the content and essence of TGTBTU is starkly apropos and metaphorically describes today’s world , at least that of America.

Leone may have been telling a story, a fable if you like, with simplicity and not much adornment. But the crux of the tale may have been lost on the audience because of too much visuality and noise. However, even with all the sound and fury, the totality of the story accurately describes the world of today more than that of forty-five years ago!

Today, the good are common, ordinary, hard-working, honest folk who are fighting and struggling against adversities of all sorts, mostly man-made. The good are in an epic battle with the bad and the ugly. Unlike the movie, things are not as clear-cut today and roles are not always crystal clear. The good can at times lose their way, their innocence, or purity. They can be swayed and corrupted by the forces of the bad and the ugly.

The bad are the sinister, the evil, and the pathologically sociopathic. They relish their badness with a smirk. They are always cloaked in a garb of respectability. And as they spout their false moral convictions, they masterfully hide their insatiable ambitions. Amazingly, this group thrives in a world filled with cynicism, and lies. And unfortunately for the world, the bad now manipulate governments, religious organizations, and the media to be unwitting allies and fellow misery-bringers.

And lastly, we have the ugly. They are the nondescript, the greedy, the noisy, and the unsophisticated criminal-type. They make no bones about who they are, they know they are the dregs of society, but at least they are not filled with guile and hatred as the bad are.

Looking at America today, we do indeed have the good, the bad, and the ugly!

We, the common, hard-working, good folk go about our ways suffering under the yoke that the bad have placed on our shoulders. We suffer high unemployment, high taxes, and doubtful old age prospects. At the same time, we are also sacrificing the lives of our children, our wives, our husbands, our brothers, and our sisters in foreign adventures under the name of ‘national security.’

Meanwhile, on another front, the government and the media (saps that they are) are doing the bidding of the bad (il brutto) who are already entrenched in wealth, power, and privilege. America now openly has powerful, wealthy people vying for more power and shamelessly parading their evil ways as virtues to the general public. The media and the supposedly humanitarian, religious bodies of the nation are simply acquiescing by not standing up to these “maldito” power-hungry sharks. And one of these days, one of these sleek, oily sharks may just become President unless people wake up and see what is happening around them.

As for the ugly, we know who they are. The ugly are driven by greed and follow their animal instincts and "dog-eat-dog-world" philosophy. You can almost sympathize with them given what the bad are wreaking upon humanity. Sadly, however, the ugly are also foils and tools for the bad. That is why we must always keep an eye on the ugly while also watching our backs for unexpected dangers from the bad.

So here we are: the eternal dueling trio! The good, the bad, the ugly!

Who will prevail in America?