I generally enjoy tutoring college writers. I can deal with the early hours, the sometime monotony of assignments, even the predictable grammatical errors. But what makes me crazy is the downright predictability--nay, the inevitability--of students in certain professional fields to fall hook, line, and recycled terminology for the allure of buzzwords. For instance, I just read an analysis by a business student that purportedly showed how a particular business utilizes innovation. Except the entire ten pages said nothing. Literally nothing. And worse than reading ten pages of nothing is reading them at six a.m.
and knowing some poor shlub is actually forking over hard-earned money (or going into ridiculous amounts of debt) to write such meaningless pulp. I could rant about how colleges, not-for-profit but especially for-profit institutions, take advantage of unprepared students by admitting them, taking their money, and sending them into the world with a piece of paper but no more skills to attain and retain gainful employment than I could send my four-year-old into a realtor to successfully discuss home inspectors as a negotiation detail, but I'll pass on that. I could rant about how fields of study in institutions of higher education ("higher"! Hahahahahahahaha!) like business become so encumbered with generic language that students can master the code but can't actually say anything meaningful whatsoever. Please note that I'm not anti-business; I'm anti-jargon.
But there's hope. When I googled "weasel words,"
this gloriously refreshing site came up, with the following descriptor on its homepage: "
This site is for people who have silently wept into a crumpled copy of their company's mission statement, for teachers who want to work in classrooms and not customer service points, and for all those who have been underpinned by an innovative, value adding, creative, sustainable, diverse and optimised framework."
Thank you, Don Watson, for saving my sanity this morning.
4 comments:
I must tell you that when a co-professional (and I'm limiting this to similarly prepared post-grad social workers) use any of the "deadly buzzwords" that have populated our field I immediately feel a desire to distance myself from them, the conversation, and my profession. I almost find myself quickly looking about (as one does after a sudden potentially embarrassing fall) to see if anyone has seen me speaking to said buzz word devotee. I've always been convinced that the diploma hand-over handshake was actually code for "Feel free to use those super special words we shared with you for the super special price of 1 zillion dollars".
(PS - I'm a little nervous about writing here because lately I'm feeling some grammar slippage. Please mark my work with the respect due someone who is old enough to be a Grandma. ) I must use this now: LOL.
Luann, your comment made my day. Actually, probably my weekend. :) LMBO (that's "laugh my britches off") at the hand-over handshake code-breakage--too bad we can't actually GET a zillion dollars for using language clearly! And never be nervous writing comments here. I turn off my grammar radar when I'm not teaching or tutoring. :) Besides, you're a smart lady--Dr. Luann!
Well I heard that your buying or otherwise being gifted superior age-appropriate goods, resulted in proactive engagement among your progeny who had difficulty exhibiting themes of fairness and simplicity, much like that of the irregular maritime arrivals who find it equally difficult to adapt harmoniously into our regional culture.
Aunt B: Your a superior age-appropriate good. Or are you a irregular maritime arrival? I ferget.
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