Words are tough little creatures. We mangle and mispronounce them and demand they take on new meanings to suit our whims and agendas.
Employed for most of its spoken and written life as a word describing lions and storms, “fierce” has been repurposed to loosely describe people with, well, fiercely-held convictions or a passion for a cause dimly regarded by others or ignored by society at large.
“Issue” for years was a word reliably found printed on the bottom of a magazine cover or beneath the name of a newspaper. Issue — as in, “he has issues” — somehow became a replacement word for “problem.”
A problem sounds like a burden for the person with the problem and an annoyance to people around that person. Issue sounds like a complication not easily given over to a solution and invites others to sympathize with the problem holder.
“Transparency” has been yanked from relative obscurity and put to work as a catch-all social justice and political conversation word. It is a smart-sounding way of calling someone a liar or gently denouncing them as a bull-headed obfuscator or coward hiding behind a tawdry contrivance constructed from half truths.
“Intersectionality” is another word social media habitues have dressed up for employment in conversations revolving around social change. People who use the word within earshot of me are usually talking with pride about how an initiative they launched dovetails with similar initiatives launched by people who share their social or political values.
The late Tom Wolfe would have clapped with delight to hear how “issue” and “transparency” are enjoying new careers as delicately-barbed critique tools.
The great writer would have also celebrated darling phrases of the day like “lean in” and “speaking truth to power.” The latter mouthful, in particular, would have plastered a grin on Wolfe’s face and inspired a classic Wolfeism.
He would have also mocked how “pivot” enjoys new popularity. I plead not guilty for frequently using pivot. After all, it belongs to the onomatopoeian family of words that sound like they are written. I plead guilty to using pivot when I can’t conjure up a more concise word.
At some point in every writer’s life, a better writer urges the aspiring novice to lay hands on “The Elements of Style.” Crafted — noticed I wrote “crafted,” not “written” — by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, it is a guide to writing concisely.
I acquired my first copy of “Elements” 42 years ago and I remember it had a blue cover. I made the rookie mistake of treating it like a textbook and, decades later, I have come to regard “Elements” as a writer’s barometer or talisman intended to guide word laborers to the best, sharpest tool in the proverbial toolbox.
I confess bouts of laziness in practicing my craft and I have days when I pull a dull tool from the box, but — hey — at least I’m transparent about my issues.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
