Comments on: Fiscal Cliff Notes

Fiscal Cliff Notes

oneswellfoop — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:16:34 -0800

One of those inevitable year-end traditions is Lake Superior State University's List of Banished Words, led this year by the currently ubiquitous "Fiscal Cliff", followed by the related political/economic shorthand "Kick the Can Down the Road". Of course, "YOLO" is on the list (as I predicted), along with "Double Down" (surprisingly NOT in reference to the KFC menu item), "Job Creators", "Spoiler Alert", "Bucket List", "Guru" (didn't Mike Myers kill that word in 2008?), the marketing-speak "Superfood", the twitter-driven verbed noun "Trending", the oxymoronic "Boneless Wings" and this year's pick for 'word that has lost all meaning': "Passionate". Of course, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV, an acronym not yet banned, but give it time...)

By: pipeski

pipeski — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:23:32 -0800

I've been ranting about the ridiculous misuse of the word 'passion' since about 2000. Because no, I don't have 'a passion for SEO and New Media'. And if you do, you're a very strange person indeed.

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:25:49 -0800

BTW, I noticed Time Magazine attempted to influence this year's with an online poll. If you don't want to vote to see the results, I'll give you a Spoiler (sorry): "YOLO" was way ahead with 22% of the votes, followed by "Gangnam Style" with almost 12.5%. "Literally" (like Gangnam, not on the LSSU list) was third at 9%, edging out "Fiscal Cliff". Such are online polls.

By: hellojed

hellojed — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:34:30 -0800

I'm happy "passion" is on there. I cringe whenever it shows up on want ads. Last week someone forwarded me one that wanted someone with a "Passion" for automated QA testing. When applying for my current job, the recruiter was disappointed I hadn't conveyed that I had a "passion" for the "mobile space" during the interview (I got the job anyway). It would be great if everyone involved in HR would stop lying to each other and stop using this word. They really want someone who will stay on long-term and accept lower pay, because the job is their "passion" and they'd do it for free if they could. The job seeker is going to, of course, lie through their teeth the entire time.

By: bongo_x

bongo_x — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:36:13 -0800

I've never even heard "YOLO". Weird. "Job Creators" is the stupidest, most obviously bullshit phrase I've heard in years and I laugh every time I hear it because they just keep saying it even though no one is buying it. The Job Creators really suck at their jobs, they should be fired. Or have their taxes raised a whole lot. The first step should be in a couple of hours...

By: Ad hominem

Ad hominem — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:41:12 -0800

#yoloswag I vote for "exclusive". I saw a mailer for a casino comp program that said "your membership has become even more exclusive". At first I thought they were kicking people out to ya know, make it exclusive, but no, they just had The Spinners doing shows at the VIP room. Truly the word has lost its original meaning.

By: cmoj

cmoj — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:44:59 -0800

YOLO, sure, but most people who YOLO at all seem to YOLO many times. How is that kosher?

By: Malor

Malor — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:45:47 -0800

I'd heard YOLO a few times, but I never knew what it meant until now, when I'm not supposed to use it anymore.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:48:16 -0800

YOLO, the poor man's carpe diem.

By: Ad hominem

Ad hominem — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:49:08 -0800

There is kinda an trend to retake YOLO and remake it into a cautionary term. Less " ima get drunk and have unprotected sex YOLO" and more "you should contribute to your 401k and plan for your retirement, YOLO"

By: Malor

Malor — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:49:12 -0800

I'd sort of guessed that it was a cry or call of some sort, by jerks.

By: LeLiLo

LeLiLo — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:49:58 -0800

My son said YOLO the other day and I had no idea what he was talking about. The 'should be banished' phrase I keep seeing lately is "full disclosure," now apparently used to describe one simple fact... definitely not a 'full' disclosure.

By: Talez

Talez — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:50:15 -0800

YOLO, the ~~poor man's~~ ignorant twit's carpe diem. FTFY. It's got 90% more swag now.

By: klarck

klarck — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:53:12 -0800

Be careful what you wish for. "Full disclosure" would certainly be replaced by "transparency".

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:53:52 -0800

You obviously like owls -- the first use of YOLO I ever saw. I am clearly not swaggin'.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:54:32 -0800

hellojed: They really want someone who will stay on long-term and accept lower pay, because the job is their "passion" and they'd do it for free if they could. Likewise, any want ad seeking a "rockstar" is just looking for someone really talented who is willing to take a position that they are overqualified for and then get continually shat upon from a great height.

By: Ad hominem

Ad hominem — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:08:03 -0800

I always figured "rockstar" meant this will be your first programming job and you still think you are hot shit and you write blog posts about how awesome refactoring is and how much OO sucks.

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:14:07 -0800

I agree. We should all start using "passionate" as a verb, like "inculcate" or "replicate."

By: bukvich

bukvich — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:26:20 -0800

Nomyte that reminds me that I prescriptivistively freak the fuck out when somebody uses the word "favorite" as a verb. But "passionate" I sort of like at first glance.

By: Talez

Talez — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:26:27 -0800

Can we also banish "friend zone" while we're at it?

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:32:14 -0800

I nominate hard-on as the replacement for passion. E.g., "I have a hard-on for SEO and New Media."

By: Jehan

Jehan — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:33:38 -0800

the twitter-driven verbed noun "Trending",

"Trend" has been a verb since English was in its swaddling clothes. Sure, it used to mean "roll", but I hardly think the meaning of the noun influencing that of the verb is much to anger at.

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:34:38 -0800

Also, let's get rid of everything ending in '-gasm'. Well, almost everything.

By: tapir-whorf

tapir-whorf — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:35:06 -0800

I wish the transitive use of grow--like "grow your business"--would never again be mentioned either. Also while we're at it, shitty reductive othering via the nebulous praise of calling a person/culture "proud," "fierce," "defiant," and what's that other word that makes me want to start hitting people? Oh, "unflinching."

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:35:11 -0800

I nominate hard-on as the replacement for passion. I'm sorry, but I already use the hard-on as punctuation. Unh!

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:37:06 -0800

Yep tapir all those words basically mean, "CEO is a self-absorbed douche who likes to fondle account execs and bully everyone else."

By: hwestiii

hwestiii — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:41:00 -0800

I'd be willing to remove the letters in "job creators" from the alphabet if it would ensure that that phrase was never uttered again.

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:42:44 -0800

I wish the transitive use of grow--like "grow your business"--would never again be mentioned either. Also: corn, wheat, hair...

By: telstar

telstar — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:47:44 -0800

Nah. "I'm all wet for" SEO and New Media.

By: 4ster

4ster — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:48:26 -0800

At the end of the day...

By: Tube

Tube — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:48:47 -0800

Almost annually, I am disappointed by those who don't differentiate between words and terms.

By: scratch

scratch — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:49:56 -0800

I'll tell you what I've been struggling with: "struggles with." Strike it from the lexicon immediately. Because YOLO.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:51:23 -0800

I just had an SEO and New Mediagasm.

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:52:22 -0800

Dear Metafilter, YOLOtm is a registred Trademark of DrakeTM, and DrakeTM will require the immediate payment of royalties. Chill, or cut a cheque. So many of these words and phrases I haven't heard until recently. What's up with that?

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:54:52 -0800

Can we ban stupid nouns as stupid verbs? "I'll Instragram that!" Also: "Selfie".

By: Room 641-A

Room 641-A — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:55:30 -0800

I'd be willing to remove the letters in "job creators" from the alphabet if it would ensure that that phrase was never uttered again. But then I'd have to change my name to Y. That being said, I'd change my name to Y if we could get rid of the phrase "That being said". I agree with all the ones on the list, but except for "Job Creators" they don't seem quite as annoying as in previous years.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:12:33 -0800

Let's just ban all the words and sit in silence in the dark eating oatmeal.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:18:17 -0800

Let's just ban all the words and sit in silence in the dark eating oatmeal. Yes! Finally! I call the plain oatmeal.

By: telstar

telstar — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:18:41 -0800

Not "gun control". "Life creator" law.

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:20:57 -0800

As someone who grew up in Davis, CA, I am sincerely and wholeheartedly in favor of returning Yolo to its original meaning.

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:25:35 -0800

Since when is "Fiscal Cliff" one word?

By: valkyryn

valkyryn — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:33:23 -0800

"Trending" has meant something since before Twitter was invented. "Moving, on average, in a particular direction." The problem is not the word, but that people feel the need to use any word to describe something that is momentarily popular on Twitter. Indeed, it's arguably a misuse of the word, because doesn't the word carry with it a connotation of performance over time, something which is almost oxymoronic in the Twitter context.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:20:22 -0800

"Trending" for me was a word that researchers used when they wanted to pretend that their statistically insignificant data was actually significant in complete defiance of the actual meaning of significance testing. So I find the current usages, which I treat as 'ignore this meaningless filler' tend to work perfectly.

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:29:49 -0800

I live in Yolo County. I am very tired of hearing about this. It ended up being my county's theme in the state fair (it won second place) and is now the theme behind a magazine. makeitstopplease

By: Cookiebastard

Cookiebastard — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:35:20 -0800

We are seeking an "out-of-the-box-thinker" proficient in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

By: iviken

iviken — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:48:20 -0800

Oh, "whatever*". *(a word banished in 1997)

By: munchingzombie

munchingzombie — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:12:31 -0800

My lawn. Get off it.

By: sonic meat machine

sonic meat machine — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:17:21 -0800

I like "self-driven" "talent" who "thrive in a fast-paced environment."

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:15:13 -0800

I like "self-driven" "talent" who "thrive in a fast-paced environment." When I drive to the store, that nearly describes the experience. Well, I guess it would have to read as follows to be accurate: I like "driving" "my lazy ass" to the store, who "cannot fucking believe that people DRIVE 35 IN A 50, JESUS CHRIST WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU."

By: Sara C.

Sara C. — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:10:00 -0800

I wish the transitive use of grow--like "grow your business"--would never again be mentioned either. How will farmers be allowed to talk? Jed: What are you looking at planting this spring, Garth? Garth: This year I'm going to output mostly rye and barley, but I might facilitate a few rows of alfalfa if prices look good. I mean...??????

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:33:17 -0800

Lexical chunks, no matter word or short phrase it's the smallest meaningful bit of language. Compound word, word, idiomatic phrase, phrasal verb, etc. People often use "word" to mean "lexical chunk" because lexical chunk is an ungainly bit of jargon.

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:49:16 -0800

I'm happy "passion" is on there. I cringe whenever it shows up on want ads. Last week someone forwarded me one that wanted someone with a "Passion" for automated QA testing. When applying for my current job, the recruiter was disappointed I hadn't conveyed that I had a "passion" for the "mobile space" during the interview (I got the job anyway). It would be great if everyone involved in HR would stop lying to each other and stop using this word. I'm always trying vainly to eradicate this from students' job application letters in bus. writing courses. One well-intentioned person wrote a cover letter for an elementary teaching job and mentioned she was "passionate about children," and I'm like, oh. no. REALLY not the word you want to use in this context.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:45:43 -0800

For the general public who don't work in marketing: form factor; price point; colorway.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:59:26 -0800

Since this is one of the few times where it's appropriate to bitch about it, I can't stand the term "dev", a shortening of developer. I get white knuckles of rage for some reason when I read things like "those devs are talented" or "we need to hire more devs" or "the foosnarf devs released a new version." You have so many words you could have chosen: programmer, coder, maintainer, developer. Did you really have to create this awful sounding shortened form?

By: facetious

facetious — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:47:32 -0800

none of those piss me off as much as "flash mob"

By: Malor

Malor — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:12:14 -0800

Mezentian: So many of these words and phrases I haven't heard until recently. What's up with that? I think it means we're getting old, and we're no longer at the center of online culture.

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:03:54 -0800

You've never seen YOLO? Clearly you need to spend more time at browncardigan. Radge.

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:19:19 -0800

That's crazy talk. I know who Drake is and why browncardigan is hilarious. (But until the post on the Blue I throught YOLO meant You Obviously Like Owls too).

By: sonika

sonika — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:16:05 -0800

I hate bucket list. Both the word and the concept. I prefer to make a list of all the stuff I'm going to do AFTER I die.

By: valkyryn

valkyryn — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:22:44 -0800

none of those piss me off as much as "flash mob" Again, the term does have real meaning independent of the way it's currently being used. It's a corruption of Larry Niven's flash crowd concept, i.e., the sudden, largely unplanned gathering at scenes of interest of large numbers of people connected by the internet and mobile devices. Now it just means a whole lot of people showing up in public and doing something stupid. These are generally planned in some detail, sometimes including the provision of props. Those Improv Anywhere skits? Calling those "flash mobs" is a horrible use of the term. But what happened in Tunisia and Egypt? A bunch of people hearing that shit is going down right now, and it's time to get downtown? Flash mob.

By: inflatablekiwi

inflatablekiwi — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 08:18:00 -0800

I work in a large consulting firm... so yeah I get exposed to a lot of jargon. The saying I 'd love to banish is "table stakes" - as in "being proficient in skill X is just table stakes to be considered for project y". I must hear it 3 or 4 times a day - surely we are over the poker obsession of the last few years.

By: mister_kaupungister

mister_kaupungister — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 08:50:35 -0800

I had never heard of a 'bucket list' until today, when I saw it in a friend's Facebook post. I assumed that it was some sort of app.

By: immlass

immlass — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:12:58 -0800

I've been waiting for someone to banish the spoiler alert since I got dissed for not delivering one while discussing Titanic on a mailing list during its original theatrical release. I have news for you: the boat sinks!

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:36:12 -0800

Trending, for me, does not bring the howling fantods quite the way that hashtag does. I mean, yes, the symbol has a function in social networking communication, but when I hear it spoken, it is usually by some chipper and clueless Social Media Marketing Expert and that I will next be forced to look at some out of context tweets or God forbid a Twitter wall. Just... just no. Please no.

By: straight

straight — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:08:09 -0800

One well-intentioned person wrote a cover letter for an elementary teaching job and mentioned she was "passionate about children," and I'm like, oh. no. REALLY not the word you want to use in this context. A couple guys on a podcast I listen to gave themselves the giggles repeating the same stupid joke over and over and then scolded themselves by repeating several times, "We're such children." Except instead of the word "such" they used the intensifier "fucking."

By: Twang

Twang — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:31:02 -0800

YOLO Maybe, but what if you have to live that ONE life over and over, as in Groundhog Day, throughout eternity, until you get it right? Each time reborn in the same body, the same town, the same people, the same bad advice, the same everything ... And what if, each time around, you forget most of what you learned the last time? Ouspensky wrote the story. Live it or live with it!

By: fullerine

fullerine — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:34:00 -0800

I'd like to take a moment to celebrate the death of the phrase "speaking truth to power"

By: vytae

vytae — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:28:08 -0800

Several years back one of our local community colleges put together one of those low-budget commercials for the school. You know, the kind that is created by the people majoring in tv production and starring real students? Imagine the school's logo, blown up from a low-res image so it's all grainy, displayed in motion via green-screen behind a person. She's a woman in her early 20s, wearing a backpack, staring blankly into the camera. In a perfect monotone, expressionless voice she drones, "Cabinetmaking is my passion." Cut to a bullet-point list of career paths you can explore at the school and a flashing phone number. It's my favorite local commercial of all time.

By: ActingTheGoat

ActingTheGoat — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:18:50 -0800

I had never heard of a 'bucket list' until today, when I saw it in a friend's Facebook post. I assumed that it was some sort of app. This one got increasingly popular a few years back.

By: Herodios

Herodios — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:34:43 -0800

Lake Superior State University . . . is known for its academic programs such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, fire science and business management. I would like to banish the use of academic to mean vocational.

By: Western Infidels

Western Infidels — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:38:51 -0800

I hate the modern corporate-hot-air version of the words "passion" and "passionate" with a... nevermind. So does David Mitchell.