So, the Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider was gay. He spent the evening of his fatal car crash in a gay cub, cuddling another man, and used to nip across the border to Slovakia for sex with young men. And Stefan Petzner, his protégé and successor as the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, described Haider as “the man of my life” on an Austrian radio breakfast show.
Can anyone explain the enduring fascination of Nazism for some gay men?
Much has been written about the implications for the global economy of the US Government bail-out of the failing mortgage companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Yet no one seems to have commented on those incongruously cute names.
To judge from the coverage of the Democratic Party convention in Denver, you might think that the main obstacle to Barack Obama becoming President is not racial prejudice (no, surely not), but the fact that he is perceived as an “egghead”. Watching Michelle Obama trying to convince delegates that her brilliant husband is just a regular guy and that she – a high-flying attorney – is an all-American mom left a saccharine aftertaste. But hell, if that’s what it takes to get Obama to the White House …
Anyone wondering why a creative and resourceful nation founded on the principles of Enlightenment rationalism prefers to think of itself as dumb could do worse than to revisit Richard Hofstadter’s Pulitzer-Prizewinning study Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.
Slobbish, blokeish Jack travels the world brokering the purchase of rare playing cards for rich collectors. An edgy, hypochondriac denizen of airports and hotel lobbies, he lives for the next deal. But there are not many deals left that will tempt Henri, his richest, most enigmatic client – except for the Okinawa Dragon, a unique and priceless card that hangs on the wall of a Japanese businessman. Determined to get his hands on the card by fair means or foul, Jack travels to Osaka – but what is his partner Uri up to, and who is the mysterious woman who appears to be tailing him?
One sad aspect of the proliferation of jargon is that many sane and rational people find they have no option but to use it if they wish to be taken seriously at work, especially if they are employed in local government or the more happy-clappy end of commerce. Were they to present their reports in plain English, they would be met with incomprehension or hostility. Such language has its comic side, but that should not obscure its dangers: it is the enemy of clear thinking and honest communication, and the refuge of the confidence trickster. Our little lexicon, of which this is the final instalment, makes no claims to completeness, and readers will no doubt have their own pet hates. Thanks once again to all those who have posted examples.
paradigm shift: a scientific term used to describe a fundamental change in theoretical understanding such as the Copernican model of the solar system or Darwin’s theory of evolution. The phrase was hijacked by business gurus to describe changes such as IBM’s 1981 decision to build personal computers from standardised components. The analogy is not wholly false, but exemplifies the self-aggrandising tendency of business. Now, however, the phrase has become so widespread as to be almost meaningless: “John Arne Riise’s ill-advised stoppagetime header gave Chelsea a first away goal in three European semi-final visits to Liverpool, and marked a paradigm shift in the trajectory of a previously onesided tie.” (Northern Echo, 30 April 2008)
This week we continue our glossary of political and business jargon. Thanks to readers for the examples they have posted – keep them coming. As one reader points out, this is a serious matter: such language serves to stifle dissent, mask dishonesty and shield atrocity from view. Even well-meaning people become so over-exposed to it that they use it unawares, unable to see how this detritus clogs the arteries of thought. But that doesn't mean humour is out of place. Orwell himself applauded the fact that "silly words and expressions" could be "killed by the jeers of a few journalists".
Here are a few more we should try to drive out of use:
collateral damage: civilians foolish or inconsiderate enough to get in the way of lethal weaponry.
consultation: public relations exercise intended to give a
veneer of legitimacy to an unpopular decision. "Southwark Council is
launching a consultation on who should receive adult social care … The
Government requires all local authorities to reduce costs … One
potential way for adult social care to contribute is to raise the level
of need at which people can access care services." (Southwark Life, July/August 2008)
Over the next few weeks we’ll be presenting a glossary of jargon employed by politicians, bureaucrats and executives. Readers are very welcome to post any choice specimens they come across.
“In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible… Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.”
That was George Orwell, writing more than 60 years ago in his essay “Politics and the English Language”.
The situation today is, if anything, worse, since modern linguistic weasels have a greater wealth of sources at their disposal. Management-speak allows them to appear thrusting and dynamic, while enforcing conformity; by adopting the lingo, you show that you buy into the ethos of the group. The language of therapy is useful because it medicalises social problems and can be used to suggest – in the most caring way – that those who disagree have issues with mental health.
The language of marketing (brand, market share) was designed from the outset to bamboozle. As Dorothy L Sayers, who worked as an advertising copywriter, observed in 1937: “Those who prefer their English sloppy have only themselves to thank if the advertisement writer uses his mastery of the vocabulary and syntax to mislead their weak minds."
Walking through Trafalgar Square the other day, I was struck by the tower of red and yellow glass slabs that currently stands atop the fourth plinth. Thomas Schütte’s sculpture glories in the title Model for a Hotel 2007, and would sit well enough in the lobby of a Ramada Jarvis off the North Circular; against the cool, classical elegance of the National Gallery, however, it looks cheap and gimcrack.
Why is it here? For decades, Londoners went about their business in the square quite untroubled by the emptiness of the fourth plinth. Then, towards the end of the 1990s, its emptiness was suddenly perceived as a problem, and the RSA began commissioning sculptures to be exhibited on the plinth. The works, including Mark Wallinger’s Ecce Homo and Rachel Whiteread’s Monument, were not necessarily bad, and they were followed by Marc Quinn’s Alison Lapper Pregnant, which certainly became a national talking-point. The latest wheeze comes from Antony Gormley of Angel of the North fame, who plans to have the plinth occupied 24 hours a day, for a whole year, by volunteers from the public, each of whom will each stand on it for an hour at a time.
I have my own, radical suggestion for what to do with the plinth: leave it empty.
For the past few weeks, and largely unremarked in the media, an extraordinary arts festival has been taking place in practically every major town and city in the land: the degree shows of art, design, fashion and architecture students at Britain’s colleges and universities.
Some, such as Leeds University's ingenious show Wunderkammer, which drew inspiration from the curiosity cabinets assembled by collectors in the 17th and 18th centuries, have sadly finished, although you can still view an online gallery of work displayed at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Art and Design degree show. Many others are still in full swing. To mark Liverpool's reign as the 2008 Capital of Culture, John Moore’s University is showcasing the work of its art and design students in venues across the city; you’ve got until this Thursday, 26 June, to catch its Fine Art degree show.
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