Words Mean Things...Or Do They??

I thought I would examine a few words and phrases in life that have become nearly extinct or at the very least on the endangered species list. You may be thinking this is a political rant but it’s not the specific intention although many things in this life do dovetail in politics. So let us delve into the mystery of lost English shall we?

One of my pet peeve words that, although is spewed out by many, is not sincerely spewed: responsibility. Webster’s defines the word as this: 1 : the quality or state of being responsible: as a : moral, legal, or mental accountability b : trustworthyness 2 : something for which one is responsible : burden ; has neglected his responsibilities.

This is becoming a more difficult concept to grasp with our wonderful government taking hold of all parts of our lives. The easy way out of most every hurdle in life these days is to claim it is someone else’s responsibility. Health care is not my responsibility it is my governments. Isn’t that great? No need to take any of those difficult tasks on anymore as our government will take care of us even if we aren’t willing or able to take care of ourselves. It’s all about being easy now. No need to actually work for anything any longer because everything now is a right and nothing needs to be earned.

I love this phrase because it is a way of completely disarming a discussion without ever coming to some sort of logical understanding: “Who are you to judge?” Everyone seems to want the answers to difficult questions in life but when they perhaps hear something they don’t want to hear it is almost always followed by “Who are you to judge?” If you don’t want a judgment then I suggest you don’t ask any questions because most answers to difficult questions in this life require a judgment of some form. We make judgments ever day regarding most every facet of our lives. So don’t make a transparent attempt at political correctness by asking that question. You will be wasting your time with me on that one.

How about this phrase that people seem to gloss over in trying to explain this difficult situation in our country: Illegal aliens. It’s quite simple in my eyes. We are either a nation of laws or we are not. If the justice system is indeed to be applied evenly for all then if you are breaking a law it should be dealt with accordingly. If you fail to do this then it basically gives no incentive to the rest of us to actually follow the law. I won’t go deeper on that topic so as to not be asked “Who are you to judge?”

How about this phrase? “Self-reliance” It kind of goes hand in hand with that responsibility word I suppose. Forty years ago it was not only the way to survive it was the accepted practice to live by. Where I lived you actually did wear boots with straps and more than occasionally had to pull them up and move on. In many cases you had people willing to help as long as you displayed you were actually trying to help yourself as well. These days if you want help just run to your government with your hands out and don’t worry too much about whether you really need it; it’s your right.

· Here’s a word that used to mean something: journalism.
1 a : the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media b : the public press c : an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium2 a : writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine b : writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation c : writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest

I love these definitions but especially 2 b. direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation: When did this change? I challenge you to watch any network and I don’t care on what side of the aisle you are politically there is always a very open attempt to interpret and often without the facts. Journalism in its purest initial form is, for all intensive purposes, dead. You are now forced to try to filter through everything you hear and see and try to ascertain the truth. And while we are talking about that word let’s define truth.

1 a archaic : fidelity, constancy b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance2 a (1) : the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true c : the body of true statements and propositions3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : true 2 c : fidelity to an original or to a standard

Isn’t it fascinating that such a short simple word can have such complex definitions? Compare that to lie;

1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive2 : to create a false or misleading impression

There you have it. It’s much simpler to lie than ever tell the truth but then while it occurs to me:
“Who am I to judge?”