Terms of use
Thoughts on year that was, will be
The name game played by folks in all walks of life—from scientists to politicians to activists to reactionary activists—can be disconcerting.
Being politically correct and accurate is a noble goal, but for those folks with more than a touch of reality and a stronger sense of common sense, some “brands” just don’t ring true. Take “global warming,” for example.
The term is factual, but it’s hard to believe, much less swallow, when the wind chill in the Four States Area is a rousin’-rompin’ -2 degrees Fahrenheit. The fact is both poles are warming up, creating a rise in the temperature of the oceans, which in turn creates massive weather disturbances, i.e., droughts, monsoons, bigger and unseasonal hurricanes, an increase in wildfire conditions, cyclone blizzards … you know, like, now.
An acceptable term, and one most folks would understand, would be “climate change.” While that term has been used, it hasn’t been “sold” in a consistent conscious-ofmind way; it has been mostly used as throwaway line: “The so-called ‘climate change’ is changing all over the planet.”
Another term that is not globally accepted is “Black Lives Matter.”
Of course Black lives matter; it’s hard to argue with that premise, but it does exclude about 80 percent of the world’s population. The term which fits this and every other situation is “All Lives Matter.” But when trying to sell a single idea or image, expanding the image never seems to be an option.
Now, let’s tackle an issue a bit thornier: Sexual preference and identifiable brands.
Many older Americans remember when using the word “queer” would start a fight. Now, it’s part of the abbreviation of those who define sexual preferences on an extremely personal, and complicated, level.
What was once written as “lesbian and gay” has now been expanded (not kidding, here) to LGBTQIA+. In an attempt to be all-inclusive, the abbreviation has become a symbol of ridicule and scorn. For the record (and admitting I had to look up the new alphabet additions), it is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex and asexual. I assume the plus sign means “stay tuned, more initials coming.”
The point is, activists are killing the core message by trying to be all-inclusive when they should be thinking about ways to include “outsiders” into the core message. Instead of seven letters with a promise of more, why not adopt the age-old motto of “more is less.”
Change out LGBTQIA+ for PLP (“People Loving People”) or ELE (“Everybody Loving Everybody”).
Hard to argue with that logic.
Here’s hoping 2023 is a return to laughter.
When is it going to be okay to laugh again? Granted, there’s not much in the news and in our daily lives to bring forth a giggle, much less a guffaw.
If you thought the last several years were tough, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
The country is still divided along ideological and political lines. With a divided Congress, it’s hard to surmise anything useful being done in the next two years; the House will likely impeach President Biden in a tit-for-tat move over former President Trump’s two impeachments, and stalemates will one-up any meaningful legislation as both parties try and put political muscle and prowess on display.
Americans can use a good dose of laughter other than GIFs, memes and Facebook posts making fun of folks of a different political or ideological bent (I, too, plead guilty). Big-budget comedy movies were losers in 2022 across the board; seems funny isn’t playing well anywhere these days.
You know the country is in the doldrums when the funniest thing on television was the family dinner scene in “Yellowstone.” (If you missed it, Google or YouTube it. The one-line zingers and ensuing fistfight between Beth Dutton and Summer were funnier than any “Seinfeld” or “Big Bang Theory” episode.)
Make a New Year’s resolution to find something (not somebody) to laugh at very single day. It can’t hurt … and certainly might help our collective dispositions.
As it soon will be 2023, we would also be wise to take some advice. To quote one of America’s greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”
Repeating the recent past is not a viable option for a strong, future United States.