A Conversation To Break The Internet -- 2016's Problematic Banished Words
So it's the end of the year, meaning it is time once again to check into the news from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, in order to see the venerable Lake Superior State University's annual "banished words list." For those new to the concept, this is a list of words and phrases which have become so downright annoying that they deserve banishment from casual conversation (whoops, I've now used two of them in this opening paragraph).
Without further introduction, let's get right to the full list of banished words for 2016:
So
Conversation
Problematic
Stakeholder
Price point
Secret sauce
Break the Internet
Walk it back
Presser
Manspreading
Vape
Giving me life
Physicality
So let's see what we've got. Yes, that's another joke, because "So" -- used specifically to begin a sentence in a rather meaningless way -- is the very first banished word on the list. As usual, there were a few on the list I had to have explained, not being up on buzzwords from all walks of life. "Manspreading" was the biggest puzzler, and is apparently a term meaning a guy on a train taking up too much seat room. I would have personally guessed that "mansplaining" would have made the list rather than this more-obscure term, but then what do I know? I don't commute on trains on a regular basis, so maybe this is more of a thing than I realize. Also, never heard the "giving me life" phrase for "that makes me laugh," so I guess I'm just not up to date or something.
This year's list seemed pretty heavy on corporate jargon that people hate. This is entirely understandable, as corporate jargon is maddeningly insipid even at its best. My own bugaboo from the past year was explained by my wife -- "tabling" used as a verb to mean "manning the tables for an organization at some event." To me, "tabling" should only be used to mean "Congress or some portion thereof deciding they're just going to ignore a bill" (origins are: "to let the bill lie on the table," actually). Alternatively, "presser" really should bug me, but somehow doesn't. What else? "Conversation" is on the list mostly for the phrase "join the conversation," and "physicality" is the sports-related term on the list this year.
As always, the nominations themselves are often fairly amusing, as they define just what it is about the words and phrases that is so annoying.
[So] -- "So it's getting really annoying. So can we please put a stop to this?"
[Conversation] -- "Have one, start one, engage in one. Enough."
"We are invited to 'join the conversation' if we want to give an opinion. This expression is overused and it is annoying."
[Problematic] -- "'A corporate-academic weasel word,' according to the Urban Dictionary."
"Anything that the speaker finds vaguely inconvenient or undesirable, such as an opposing political belief or bad traffic. Contrast things that are self-evidently taken to be problematic with, say, actual problems like a hole in the ozone layer or a job loss."
[Stakeholder] -- "Dr. Van Helsing should be the only stake holder."
[Price Point] -- "It has no 'point.' It is just a 'price.'"
[Break the Internet] -- "I hope the list doesn't 'break the internet.' (How else would I read it next year?)"
[Walk it back] -- "It seems as if every politician who makes a statement has to 'walk it back,' meaning retract the statement, or explain it in laborious detail to the extent that the statement no longer has any validity or meaning once it has been 'walked back.'"
[Presser] -- "Not only is there no intelligent connection between the word 'presser' and its supposed meaning, this word already has a definition: a person or device that removes wrinkles. Let's either say 'press conference' or 'press release' or come up with something more original, intelligent and interesting!"
[Manspreading] -- "Men don't need another disgusting-sounding word thrown into the vocabulary to describe something they do.... You're just taking too much room on this train seat, be a little more polite...."
[Vape] -- "I hope the word goes up in smoke."
As usual, we here at ChrisWeigant.com just love to break the rules at times, so we'll conclude as usual, by blatantly ignoring the banishments for at least one last time this year:
So 2015 has been a bizarre year, and definitely a problematic one in the world of politics. With Donald Trump breaking the Internet with each and every presser he gives, the rest of the Republican candidates are struggling just to join in the conversation from the sidelines. Trump's secret sauce seems to be a combination of his physicality (including that thing that lives on his head, manspreading itself across his brow) and his absolute disinterest in ever walking anything he says back. Jeb Bush, who was going to set the price point for entry into the field, has failed miserably and is barely even seen as a stakeholder in the Republican nomination race anymore. People are even wondering about the possibility of the GOP bigwigs selecting another candidate in some up-to-date smoke-filled room (vape-filled room?) at the convention. The entire phenomenon is giving life to a lot of pundits, and a lot of Democrats. So 2016 should be an interesting election year, folks. So happy new year to all, and to all a good night!
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Big News Update!
I checked the donations list today, and due to a few VERY generous last-minute donations, we have met our fundraising goal for the year! Woo hoo! Of course, we'll still be accepting donations, so if you feel so inclined, we welcome the budgetary inflow. But what this means is that I can confidently say that ChrisWeigant.com will remain ad-free for all of 2016 -- thanks to everyone who has donated!
Again: woo hoo!
:-)
-CW
Oh, you may have to refresh your browser to see the final "thanks everyone" graphic at the top of the page. We'll leave these up for another week or so, just so everyone gets a chance to see it.
-CW
[So] -- "So it's getting really annoying. So can we please put a stop to this?"
my own pet peeve with 'so' is when it's dangled at the end of a phrase, leaving the rest of us to infer the rest of the dependent clause instead of just saying it. in tv and movies, it's lazy writing. in real life, it's obnoxious.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/so-what/402316/
I checked the donations list today, and due to a few VERY generous last-minute donations, we have met our fundraising goal for the year! Woo hoo! Of course, we'll still be accepting donations, so if you feel so inclined, we welcome the budgetary inflow. But what this means is that I can confidently say that ChrisWeigant.com will remain ad-free for all of 2016 -- thanks to everyone who has donated!
"... and I'm spent..."
-Austin Powers
:D
Michale
729
And with the new year..
New facts that prove Clinton lied about sending classified intel thru her private insecure home-brew email server..
New ‘secret’ message among Clinton’s emails as classification rate spikes again
More than 8 percent of latest batch deemed classified
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/31/new-secret-message-among-clinton-emails/
Michale
730
I mean, honestly.
Patreaus was nailed to the cross for sharing some tidbits with his bed buddy...
Hillary opened up the entire State Department leadership to our enemies...
And ya'all give her a pass...
Once again, the power of the almighty '-D'...
Michale
731
Don't worry, people.. It's almost over.. :D
Plus I'll be gone til mid January anyways.. So you'll get some recovery time... :D
Michale
732
Ahhhhhhh
Obama to impose new gun control curbs next week
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/01/obama-to-impose-new-gun-control-curbs-next-week/
More Wouldn't It Be Nice anti-gun laws that will do absolutely NOTHING to prevent or help prevent criminal gun violence, crowd-based mass shootings or terrorist attacks...
Chump...
Michale
734
Hmm, I like some of these words. Here (for the Father Ted fans, this is titled) "Father Jack's Grammar Rules") are my pet peeves:
They’re = they fecking are.
Their = shows fecking possession.
There = specifies a fecking location.
You’re = you fecking are.
Your = shows fecking possession.
We’re = we fecking are.
Were = past fecking tense of “are”.
Where = specifies a fecking location.
Than = a fecking comparison.
Then = a fecking point in time.
To = where it’s fecking going.
Too = an excessive fecking amount.
Two = a fecking number.
It’s = it fecking is.
Its = shows fecking possession.
If you haven't seen "Father Ted" do yourself a favor - it is on Netflix. Just watch the first episode and you'll be hooked :)
Hey, neil ... I bet you've made the same typo a time or two, eh?
After all, it's an easy typo to make and we've all done it, knowing full well what the correct grammar is; usually we catch those mistakes before we hit the post button but, sometimes we're too quick on the trigger finger. :)
It’s = it fecking is.
Its = shows fecking possession.
Isn't fecking (I prefer fraking) possession still It's??
My apostrophe' fanaticism is only, surpassed by my, comma fanaticism... :D
Michale
737
I have a thing about commas, too ... especially when I forget to add one or add one too many. Heh.
Isn't fecking (I prefer fraking) possession still It's??
Only if it belongs to 'it' ... sorry, I couldn't resist. :)
Isn't fecking (I prefer fraking) possession still It's??
no. the apostrophe shows possession for nouns but NOT pronouns. "its" (no apostrophe) is the fracking equivalent of my/your/his/her/their
Then = a fecking point in time.
To = where it’s fecking going.
Too = an excessive fecking amount.
then = also causality or deduction
to = also purpose or intent
too = also also
JL
no. the apostrophe shows possession for nouns but NOT pronouns. "its" (no apostrophe) is the fracking equivalent of my/your/his/her/their
So, you are saying it's MY HAIR and ITS HAIR not, IT'S HAIR??
my/your/his/her/their when preceding a noun is possessive.
So if ITS precedes a noun, then IT'S would also be possessive and have the apostrophe...
Not arguing with the teacher... :D Just cornfused...
Michale
742
My hopes for good laughs in 2016:
January: Obama bans all ammo (it turns out ammo is not covered by the 2nd Amendment and the Supreme Court agree 5-4). It works as gun violence plummets.
February: It hits 95 degrees in Anchorage, AK. Ted Cruz tells us that it has been 95 there every February since 1998 and that global warming is a myth.
March: Jeb! takes his shirt off and rides a horse a la Putin in a desperate attempt to look 'strong'. A furious Putin goes full monty and we see his new "Hillary 2016" tramp stamp.
April: Donald Trump vows to make everybody wear blackface at his inauguration because he has always liked the movie "The Jazz Singer". His numbers go up.
May: The French put boots on the ground and stomp out ISIS. They start calling Americans "Coke guzzling woose monkeys". Lindsay Graham faints.
June: We discover that Kim Davis has had three abortions. Huckabee tells everybody that she wasn't really his friend, just like Josh Duggar.
July: Ted Cruz wins the Republican nomination at the convention after Donald Trump announces that "This joke has gone too far". He then starts a 'Truther' movement to out Cruz as a Cuban-Canadian.
August: A still laughing Trump offers to shave his head if his $10M donation to "Hillary 2016" is matched by regular voters. One week later a bald Donald Trump runs TV ads: "Vote for Hillary - I was making it all up, you know that wall thing etc. I can't believe you bought it - what is wrong with you people? - This message is approved by Donald Trump".
September: The Pope threatens to excommunicate anybody who votes for Cruz 2016. Lindsay Graham calls for boots on the ground in the Vatican. Then faints again.
October: VP candidate Mike Huckabee's boyfriend outs him. Huckabee says he wasn't really that into him all along.
November: Classified emails discovered on Hillary's server show she deliberately withheld support on the night of Benghazi because she thought it was Bill playing a joke on her. Then Hillary's girlfriend outs her. Hillary wins in a landslide anyway.
December: The RNC's autopsy on 2016 concludes that they only need 123% of the angry white men demographic to win in 2020. The race is on!
Michale,
It's hair = it is hair, as opposed to, you know, fur.
It's my hair = it is MY hair, not you're a hare.
Its hair - it is it's hair we're discussing here, not the colour of its hair!
So, now, 'hair' looks and sounds funny ... ?
SHEEEEEEE ... it!!!!
Its hair = it is its hair we're discussing here, not the colour of its hair!
Or,
It's its hair were talkin' about!
There, that's better. Heh.
no, that's not quite right, either ...
It's its hair we're talkin about!
Aren't you at 800 yet, Michale!?
January: Obama bans all ammo (it turns out ammo is not covered by the 2nd Amendment and the Supreme Court agree 5-4).
Fine... No ammo for ANY Democrat's (ITS?? :D ) Security Details...
It works as gun violence plummets.
Yea, cuz crooks always obey the law.. Chicago PROVES that! :D
Michale
744
It's its hair we're talkin about!
See, THAT should be "it's it's hair...."
The first IT'S is "IT IS" and the second IT'S is the possessive of HAIR, so it would HAVE to be IT'S....
Right??
Aren't you at 800 yet, Michale!?
Gettin' there.. But I have already made the decision to donate as if I reached 800....
It's (Its???? Aaarrggggghhhhhh!!!!!! :D) just that it would be more exciting if I actually hit the 800... :D
Michale
746
I made a mistake ... see comment #18 for the correct version!
It's hair = it is hair, as opposed to, you know, fur.
No, if we were talking about an IT, it would be IT'S hair...
Just as if IT were Michale, then it would be Michale's hair.. Not Michales Hair...
Or, in my case, lack thereof. :D
So, now, 'hair' looks and sounds funny ... ?
"Hehehe Roads... ROE ADS... It's a freaky word"
-Chris Farley, BLACK SHEEP
:D
Michale
747
So, you are saying it's MY HAIR and ITS HAIR not, IT'S HAIR??
Yes.
The first IT'S is "IT IS" and the second IT'S is the possessive of HAIR, so it would HAVE to be IT'S....
No. Liz was correct. When it comes to possessives, pronouns work differently from nouns. "It's" ALWAYS means "it is."
writing "it's" instead of "its" for possession would be the equivalent of writing me's instead of my, you's instead of your, he's instead of his, etc.
JL
key takeaway: "it" is a pronoun, and pronoun possessives are all irregular, i.e. they don't follow the rules for nouns.
No. Liz was correct. When it comes to possessives, pronouns work differently from nouns. "It's" ALWAYS means "it is."
writing "it's" instead of "its" for possession would be the equivalent of writing me's instead of my, you's instead of your, he's instead of his, etc.
But, then it would be Michales hair instead of Michale's hair.
For the Weigantian who likes to call me an "it", if he were talking about my hair, it would be, "it's hair", not "its hair", right?, ...
:D
Michale
748
key takeaway: "it" is a pronoun, and pronoun possessives are all irregular, i.e. they don't follow the rules for nouns.
Hokay... Yer da teacher.. :D
Me arguing with you on this is like you arguing with me on the best way to breach and clear... :D
Michale
749
And we must note the passing of Trapper John.... Who also was the surrogate Major Tony Nelson in the TV Movie of I DREAM OF JEANNIE...
He will be missed...
Michale
750
And, since we're making lists.. Aside to Neil... I fully expect to get to the rest of your list, just not sure when.. Hopefully before I leave for the week...
Anyways, here's my list..
The 13 Most Ridiculously PC Moments on College...
1. Hating pumpkin-spice lattes was declared sexist.
2. A university language guide stated that the word “American” was “problematic.”
3. A university study declared that we have to accept people who “identify as real vampires.”
4. The word “skinny” was deemed “violent.”
5. A university declared the phrase “politically correct” to be politically incorrect.
6. A room full of white people was determined to be a “microaggression”
7. A Harvard study declared that microaggressions can make people die sooner
8. Some students were ‘triggered’ by an anti-microaggressions exhibit.
9. A student newspaper felt the need to clarify that it was not being transphobic by associating menstruation and tampons with “women.”
10. The War on Pronouns 2015 was no doubt a tough year for this part of speech. In October, Kansas University’s student senate voted to totally ban gender-specific pronouns such as “his/her” from its Rules and Regulations document because they’re “microaggressions” against the students who don’t use them.
11. A yoga class was canceled on the grounds that yoga is “cultural appropriation.”
12. The War on Charity Events In 2015, political correctness was often considered more important than raising money for charitable causes. For example: At Quinnipiac University, a sorority had to cancel a fundraiser for foster children because one student complained that having (trigger warning!) maracas on the promotional posters was racist. At the University of Kansas, some social-justice activists declared that a sorority hosting a charity event for children with cancer during one of its protests was a microaggression because the activists were more important.
13. A university blamed a student’s clear act of terrorism on the patriarchy.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/429102/most-pc-moments-college-campuses-2015
"I weep for the future..."
-Matri'De, FERRIS BEUHLER'S DAY OFF
:D
Michale
751
And, since we're making lists.. Aside to Neil... I fully expect to get to the rest of your list, just not sure when.. Hopefully before I leave for the week...
Anyways, here's my list..
The 13 Most Ridiculously PC Moments on College...
1. Hating pumpkin-spice lattes was declared sexist.
2. A university language guide stated that the word “American” was “problematic.”
3. A university study declared that we have to accept people who “identify as real vampires.”
4. The word “skinny” was deemed “violent.”
5. A university declared the phrase “politically correct” to be politically incorrect.
6. A room full of white people was determined to be a “microaggression”
7. A Harvard study declared that microaggressions can make people die sooner
8. Some students were ‘triggered’ by an anti-microaggressions exhibit.
9. A student newspaper felt the need to clarify that it was not being transphobic by associating menstruation and tampons with “women.”
10. The War on Pronouns 2015 was no doubt a tough year for this part of speech. In October, Kansas University’s student senate voted to totally ban gender-specific pronouns such as “his/her” from its Rules and Regulations document because they’re “microaggressions” against the students who don’t use them.
11. A yoga class was canceled on the grounds that yoga is “cultural appropriation.”
12. The War on Charity Events In 2015, political correctness was often considered more important than raising money for charitable causes. For example: At Quinnipiac University, a sorority had to cancel a fundraiser for foster children because one student complained that having (trigger warning!) maracas on the promotional posters was racist. At the University of Kansas, some social-justice activists declared that a sorority hosting a charity event for children with cancer during one of its protests was a microaggression because the activists were more important.
13. A university blamed a student’s clear act of terrorism on the patriarchy.
"I weep for the future..."
-Matri'De, FERRIS BEUHLER'S DAY OFF
:D
Michale
751
MicroAggression will be on next year's list of BANNED WORDS....
You heard it here first.. :D
Michale
752
Let me finish up this extravaganza with a Mea Culpa...
I had predicted an Daesch based/inspired terrorist attack this holiday season..
I am happy to say that I was wrong...
Michale
753 <<==== And I do believe that THAT is a new record... :D
Michale [28]
You sound like Bill Maher. Just saying ;)
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=6870
the word American actually is problematic, because folks from the US use it to mean only ourselves, but south and central americans use it to mean anyone from "the americas," leading to misunderstandings about who someone is talking about.
JL
The rule on apostrophes in "its" makes no sense to me. I follow it, but ....
Neilm-9
Those without a Netflix account aren't entirely fecked.....many complete Father Ted episodes are available on YouTube.
M-30
I'm pretty sure Daesch cancelled their Christmas Atrocity
just to cheese you off. By being a good sport about it, you stuck it to them twice!
I would like to see the word utilize, banished. It is almost never used in the correct technical sense (to use efficiently) and when it is used correctly, the efficient part is almost always clear in context,....which is an inefficient use of both space and letters.
TS,
I think you may need a drink and you can go ahead and make mine a double. :)
the word American actually is problematic, because folks from the US use it to mean only ourselves, but south and central americans use it to mean anyone from "the americas," leading to misunderstandings about who someone is talking about.
In it's usage, it's referring to a nationality, not one's geographical location...
It's usage should not be "problematic" on an American campus...
I'm pretty sure Daesch cancelled their Christmas Atrocity
just to cheese you off. By being a good sport about it, you stuck it to them twice!
Too true.. :D
Michale
You sound like Bill Maher. Just saying ;)
Hay now!
Let's not be sayin' things we can't take back!! :D
Michale
To the other punctuation pedants out there, you'll love this book:
"Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation"
by Lynne Truss
http://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation-ebook/dp/B000OIZSVY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451749232&sr=1-1&keywords=eats+shoot+and+leave
In it's [sic] usage, it's referring to a nationality, not one's geographical location...
It's [sic] usage should not be "problematic" on an American campus...
@michale,
did you continue using an apostrophe on its [possessive] just to mess with me?
@dan,
it doesn't make sense because it's [it is] irregular, as are all possessive pronouns: my, your, his, her, their, its.
@michale,
[snark] do you mean a campus in the U.S. or anywhere in the americas? [/snark]
of course, i know you mean the united states because of the conversation's initial context, but in other cases nationality vs. geography is not automatically implied, even though some folks may think it is. for that matter, what entitles us to refer to our nationality as if the americas belong exclusively to us?
in truth i don't think anyone really cares, i'm just posing the question as a mental exercise: does our use of the term betray an undue sense of entitlement?
JL
did you continue using an apostrophe on its [possessive] just to mess with me?
No... The "it's" was force of habit..
I used the "So " to mess with ya.. :D
[snark] do you mean a campus in the U.S. or anywhere in the americas? [/snark]
Wouldn't "americas" be Americas?? :D
in truth i don't think anyone really cares, i'm just posing the question as a mental exercise: does our use of the term betray an undue sense of entitlement?
Naw, just the cultural appropriation of white privilege.. :D
Michale
Wouldn't "americas" be Americas?? :D
yes.
Wouldn't "americas" be Americas?? :D
yes.
Apologies.. I was so ensconced with the punctuation discussion, I failed to recall your normal commenting idiosyncrasies..
I wasn't TRYING to be a smart ass... :)
Michale
... it just comes naturally. :)
... it just comes naturally. :)
heh
Michale
Indeed.
I asked a question a while ago regarding the "fairness" of bringing Bill Clinton's history of alleged sexual assaults and rapes into the election..
I never got an answer, but I have a new thought that will GUARANTEE ya'all will agree with me, even if you don't publicly state it..
If Bill Cosby were to appear on the stump in support of Trump, would Cosby's alleged sexual assaults and rapes be fair game??
Of course they would...
So, how is it any different than with Clinton??
Ahhhh yes... The '-D' after the name...
Hell, we don't even NEED to bring in Bubba...
Hillary's actions towards Bill's victims is sufficient to disqualify her from being POTUS and being a spokesperson for the Democrat Party's War On Women...
Michale
OK, we're off.. :D
Haiti, Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.
And an UNLIMITED DRINK PACKAGE!!! :D
Died and gone to heaven!!!
I doubt I'll have NET access, but I might be able to sneak someone's wifi in ports.. I might drop in and say HI and post a few pics....
Other than that, let me leave you with the immortal words of Richard Nixon...
"You won't have {{Michale}} to kick around any more!!"
Well, at least for 7 days.. :D
When I come back, I'll be a kindler, gentler Michale...
Michale
When I come back, I'll be a kindler, gentler Michale...
Mebbe.... :D
Michale
Bon voyage!
When I come back, I'll be a kindler, gentler Michale...
... only in my dreams ... :)