Dirtying Words

I love words.

As a writer, even a hack one, words just thrill me when well used.

I know that "a picture is worth a thousand words", but visual images are much better at capturing emotions, and words are better for ideas, logic and reason. I do have to admit that I wish pictures were valued so highly by an essay instructor or two of mine. That would have made college much easier.

Poe or Shakespere could take ordinary words and paint portraits with them and make them sing as well. As I age, I discover that there are many writers who can succinctly capture an idea far better than I. I regularly use their words, and deeply value them not just as tools to communicate, but as true art.

Dictionaries try to give specific meaning to words. But politics tries to blur their meanings, if not to render them totally meaningless.

To deface such artistic tools is, to me, the equivalent of drawing a crayon moustache on the Mona Lisa. It drives me crazy. OK, too late for that. It just pisses me off.

An old example is the word "gay". A good word, generally meaning "happy". The gay nineties. We had a gay old time.

But political forces have changed the standard meaning to homosexual, male gender. This too is changing to also include homosexual, female gender.

I don't understand why. It seems to me that the homosexuals I meet are no more happy nor unhappy than the heterosexuals. Every life has its joys and curses, do with it what you want.

But the debate over the meaning of the word "gay" is long over.

Let's look at a couple of more modern examples. When discussing criminals, we have always listed the most serious crime and left the other crimes be. Nobody talks about "Charles Manson, jaywalker". It's Manson, murderer.

So why do we now talk about "suicide" bombers? Was suicide their most serious offense? Or was it mass murder?

Even Michael Moore didn't label the Columbine murderers as "suicide gunmen".

These terrorists are mass murderers, nothing more. They kill innocents, usually of their own religion. You know, the ones they're dying for? Forget their agenda, they are just killers. Murderers.

Grow a set of testicles and tell the truth.

The other modern example that drives me up the wall is "undocumented worker"

That is a person who has willingly decided to violate the law for their own purposes.

Basically, it's someone who has committed Breaking and Entering on a nation instead of a home or business.

I know the standard rationale of needing people to do the things most citizens don't want to do. To respond, let me ask you something. If you came home and found a stranger lurking in your bedroom, would you care if they had made the bed?

And to the do-gooders out there, let me give you this challenge. Pick any Hollywood celebrity. Break into their house and do the dishes. Wait to ask for an autograph.

I guarantee you will not be described as an "uninvited worker". You will be arrested and charged with breaking and entering, along with stalking.

I therefore put it to you that there are no "undocumented workers". There are only illegal aliens. Alien - in a place but not a citizen, and illegal - doing so without lawful authority.

That's the plain and unvarnished truth. So when you hear some political hack taking a crayon to our precious words, please just stand up and shout.....

Remember the Dictionary!!

Until Later

The Naked Emperor