Calvin Cahan unloaded these with an eloquence
\nborn of bile (editor’s note: “tumbrel” is the cart the French
\nused to haul people off to the guillotine; I know because I had to look
\nit up): I’m strongly opposed to capital punishment, but in the case of the
\nfollowing terms, I say, “Make haste! Load them on the tumbrel!”<\/p>\n
\n“Give back to the community<\/strong>“: Give what back to
\nthe community? What did the “community” ever actually give
\nthat is subject to being returned? What, in fact, is the “community”?
\nHow broadly should it be defined? This is a desiccated cliche that
\nsignifies nothing, although it does serve to point out that one of
\nthe chief characteristics of contemporary life is that there is precious
\nlittle sense of community.<\/li>\n“Empowered; empowerment<\/strong>“: A term that has been so overused and applied so indiscriminately that its initial meaning
\nhas been diluted to the point of extinction. For example, a politician
\nwho promises to “empower” a particular group just about
\nensures that the group will remain powerless.<\/li>\n“Closure<\/strong>“: If Diogenes were alive today, he no
\ndoubt would be searching for closure instead of for an honest man.
\nThis mind-numbing, reductionist piece of psychobabble trivializes
\nthe richly variegated range of human feelings and emotions. Oh, how
\nI fervently desire to closure the door on this noxious example of
\nlexical pestilence!<\/li>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Calvin Cahan unloaded these with an eloquence born of bile (editor’s note: “tumbrel” is the cart the French used to haul people off to the guillotine; I know because I had to look it up): I’m strongly opposed to capital … Continue reading