The Exploding Gopher

I'm focusing on language quite a bit right now because the Israel situation is just too difficult to write about. Politically, the situation in the Middle East is probably one of the most fascinating things I've ever studied. In the sense of a humanitarian, however, it's impossible to watch. My glossing over the subject is equivalent to an ostrich with his head in the sand; I just can't yet. Instead, my rants about my language will continue.

I work in a large corporation. I cannot tell you which one; doing so could get me fired (given that I'm about to make fun of them). People in corporations have funny mannerisms, though. The "business" people, at least, always give you the sense that there's something they're not telling you. Every time I shake hands with one of them, I want to take a shower and I'm not always sure why.

Regardless, this disingenuousness (yes, it is a word, look it up) translates into the language these men and women speak. It's almost as if they've developed their own secret code so they can talk and nobody else understands, though I think this language is just a cover-up for a lack of substantive conversation.

I'm talking about business "buzz words". I'll give you an example: leadership. Now, the word "leadership" does, in fact, have meaning:

1 : the office or position of a leader
2 : capacity to lead
3 : the act or an instance of leading*

OK, so a word defined exclusively by its own root may not have meaning, but let's just assume those three definitions are self-explanatory and move from there.

In business, this term is often applied to those in the top levels of management. Often, those positions are actually called "business leaders".

We're taught in school that it takes more than power to make one a leader. It takes respect, it takes knowledge, and it takes recognition (among other factors) to truly make one a leader. So are these business people leaders or are they just managers?

Nobody knows. The point of using a vague term like "leadership" is to shroud reality with language. George Orwell discusses this point in his Politics and the English Language:

It [the English language] becomes ugly and inaccurate because out thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

When people don't think twice about the words they use and instead string together sentences of meaningless drivel, the language becomes a source of our degradation.

If you've had experience with business people, you know what I'm talking about. Just try to translate a memo from senior management into plain English. It won't be possible.

*Source: Merriam-Webster Online