AS a writer, I love words, simple, honest words that say what they mean. Words like doggonit. I mean, you know exactly what that means. You can feel a fist pump the table even as you say the word.
I like words like even-handed, even though things and people rarely are. And words that roll off the tongue like ‘intrigue’ or ‘golden’, ‘magical’, ‘mystical’ or ‘mischievous’. Try saying mischievous without your lips curling up a tad bit at the edges and your eyes lighting up. I even like the word ‘soppy’, though I am not a soppy movie fan, but the word tells you exactly what you are in for if you turn on a movie described by the s-word.
What I detest, and that is not too strong a word for it, is pretentious words. I call them new money words. Like people with new money, they want to show off, bourgeoisie. Words like bespoke. Can someone please tell me in a few short words what bespoke really means? Or obtuse? If you want to criticize someone, why wouldn’t you use a word they could actually understand, like dimwit. Or why call someone a sycophant when what you mean is totally lost on them and anyone else around you is wondering exactly what you mean and what you say about them when they are not within earshot. The most obnoxious word of all, obsequious.
Ironically, my choices of least favourite or new money words are totally wrong, according to people who actually measure and weigh in on these things. Statistically, the ugliest words in the English language tend to deal with body parts and their emission, functions or dysfunctions. They range from things like phlegm to mucus to flaccid. I agree they are ugly but at least they are not pretentious. Irony of ironies is that the word ranked ugliest in the English language, pulchritude, refers to beauty and attractiveness. You try using it in a sentence if you want. I won’t be.
The bigger question might be “Who cares?” Why with all that is going on in the world would you take your time and my time to stop and talk about words?
Exactly because of all that is going on in the world. Try to have a conversation about vaccines, for instance. It used to be Trump that divided us. Now it is vaccines. To jab or not to jab? If we accord athletes so much honour, do they have a right not to show up at a press conference? If we seek to manage our finances carefully and husband our resources, does a government have a right to squander its and increase debt? If we believe there should be corporate income tax but no business licence fees, how do we go about making our belief known and gaining a groundswell (good word, by the way) of support for it?
So it is not that words are important on their own, but string the right ones together, find the sweet spot and you could make a difference in a politically, socially, culturally and financially charged outcome. Words are the foundation of actions that follow, of movements spawned and ideas that become laws and reality.
If that seems too big a bit to chomp (good word) on, you can always start small and grow into it. Kind of like this. It’s the simple things that matter and in these days of over-thinking everything from COVID to politics to athletes’ and displaced persons’ rights, I long for the simple. I think we all do. A sentence structure that has flow, form and function is as pleasing to me as awakening to the aroma of coffee brewing and the sun flirting with the dawn of another day.
Words matter, choosing them carefully, toning them down in the heat of political battle and a year of so much tragedy and so much at stake will be more important than ever. Go gently, firmly, wisely into the fray for those with loud voices and obnoxious, obsequious sycophantic behaviour will be spotted immediately by those who could not care less about whether a design is bespoke or not but treasure their right to vote. And for the sake of all who give and care and live together, please rise above tearing down one religious sect to gain favour with another. You may be surprised how close and friendly their leaders are. Hurt one, hurt all. Welcome all, gain more, rise above.
E-cigarettes get an F for marketing practices, pay whopping fine
On June 28, Juul Labs, manufacturer of e-cigarettes and related products, agreed to pay North Carolina a whopping $40 million after the state accused it of deceptive marketing practices which led to addiction to nicotine. The multimillion dollar settlement was the first in what is likely to be a torrent of trouble emanating from a city and state cases against the maker of vaping products. As of this writing, some 13 other states have filed similar suits and are awaiting their turn to be heard.
Though available data on injuries – both to lung and from exploding batteries – are out of date with more attention to COVID numbers on a daily basis, there had been dozens of deaths and more than 2,000 injuries as of mid-2020.
Originally offered as a healthier alternative to inhaling cigarette smoke or a way to transition from being a smoker to a non-smoker, the company pulled off marketing magic, producing products with all sorts of flavours enticing younger and younger uses, some of the products so candy-sweet that calorie count might have been a more significant consideration than what the vaping was doing to lungs.
The creator of Juul had a home in The Bahamas. It has been up for sale in Ocean Club Estates for north of $30 million. Any offers?
Comments
JohnQ 2 years, 8 months ago
Dear Diane,
It's funny how you say Trump divided us and now it's vaccines.
Many prominent Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris publicly and vocally indicated they wouldn't trust any vaccine that originated from the Trump administration and they would be very hesitant to get vaccinated. Now, the hue and cry is why aren't folks willing to get vaccinated ? Well, as you say "words matter".
ScullyUFO 2 years, 8 months ago
Correction: What KH said was "I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about."
She was vaccinated after the vaccine received emergency approval.
Words matter. Actions matter more.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
DEAR MRS. DIANE PHILLIPS: THE POT CALLING THE TEA-KETTLE BLACK
. Normally, I would have just past over this one with the epitome that; it just is not worth it, because the irony of hypocrisy behooves me that it illuminate the sneaky double tongued paraconscious inductions that is being registered or programmed skillfully to manipulate and puppeteer the Bahamian populous. First let me preface; I do not know Mrs. Diane Phillips, and based on the hidden dogma and philosophy she has presented, wanting to know her would not be on my list of things to do nor researching who she is, so I will have to roll with the punches and take the consequences; if there is any. But; what I can say is that she is a white (Caucasian) woman, probably US educated in the era pre-70's. If her photo is not recent then she is probably a Sexagenarian, Septuagenarian or even a Octogenarian. Most definitely she is a democrat or she may claim apolitical to limit the perception of any political biasness, and her ideology maybe that of government rule over family in the political cell theory. Therefore, that may be expressed that "everyone is equal, but not everyone should be entitled"; the rule of those with the greater power over those of greater numbers. You know something like what Lynden Pindling and the black Bahamian Women fought for that resulted in Roland Theodore Symonette and his rich friends/colleagues losing undisturbed political power in the Bahamas pre-1967.
So here we go; in brief: (a)"AS a writer, I love words, simple, honest words THAT SAY WHAT THEY MEAN." (A1) Therefore; we know whatever you (DP) are writing about you (DP) have apparently painstakingly thought this thru completely! . (b) "I like words like even-handed, EVEN THOUGH THINGS AND PEOPLE RARELY ARE." (B1) Therefore; I can deduce here is where the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde personality comes in. Again, the author is very clear cut in what she says and is saying and will strategize to say. This is synonymous with a mentalist; before standing you in front of a mirror; telling you, there is a monster in the mirror; but don' be afraid of looking in the mirror, the monster can't hurt you, because it is separated from you by the "mirror glass" between you both. So when you see the monster in the mirror you do not become afraid or alarm, because if you destroy the mirror, then you destroy the monster! Also, remember (a) above.
CONTD..
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
DEAR MRS. DIANE PHILLIPS: THE POT CALLING THE TEA-KETTLE BLACK
CONTD. 2 . c) "WHAT I DETEST, and that is not too strong a word for it, IS PRETENTIOUS WORDS. I call them NEW MONEY WORDS." (C1) This here seems to highlight the bipolarity or the disassociative personality. Fact: in the age of post independent Bahamas, many of the racist white class affluent referred to the Bahamians or negros or blacks that where not economically or financially dependent on the white masters cashflow, were referred to as "NEW MONEY", compared to; for example; the first premier of The Bahamas, whom, he and his descendent enjoyed what was called old money, not "old old money" - those who made their fortunes from direct slavery in the Caribbean. So this statement is classist at best and racist at least. The "New Money words" is a diminutive, like in the days of slavery, calling a person a Mulatto, and they were in between not belonging to the rich nor the poor, therefore with Mulatto they were neither black nor Caucasian (white); but in between. But back then, even having a percentage of black in you, meant that you were not white - In the polarity form this is Arianism or the reign of Adolf Hitler period of creating a pure white race, tall, blond hair, blue eyes and not a deviant according to the German Nazis which was meant not practicing homosexuality. In one scenario it is classified as acceptable whereas in the other its wrong; you judge! Again, I refer to the writers point (a) and (b). . (d-alpha) " If you want to criticize someone, why wouldn’t you use a word they could actually understand, like dimwit. Or why call someone a sycophant when what you mean is totally lost on them and anyone else around you is wondering exactly what you mean and what you say about them when they are not within earshot." (d-beta) "Words matter, choosing them carefully, toning them down in the heat of political battle and a year of so much tragedy and so much at stake will be more important than ever. Go gently, firmly, wisely into the fray for those with loud voices and obnoxious, obsequious sycophantic behavior will be spotted immediately by those who could not care less about whether a design is bespoke or not but treasure their right to vote." (D1) Again, the writer of this column out rightly then calls anyone that goes against what she is saying a diminutive dim wit, how clever, the very same attitude that she condones is what she incriminates the anti- or contra- followers with. How quint! Pay close attention the writer defines this in d-alpha and ends this the circle drawing with d-beta.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
DEAR MRS. DIANE PHILLIPS: THE POT CALLING THE TEA-KETTLE BLACK
CONTD. 3 .
(e) "Try to have a conversation about vaccines, for instance. It used to be Trump that divided us. Now it is vaccines."
.
WORDS MATTER
In the bible, the scripture says the power is in the tongue, basic physiology dictates that the most powerful muscle in the body is the tongue. Yes! words matter but according to our constitution, the freedom of expression and association grantees that right to one and all, even to you and I, even though my ideology is completely clockwise to your anti-clockwise one. So instead of trying to socio-psychologically puppeteer the mass think of free will, the same that The Good Lord gave us the freedom of choice. You see I understand and practice the political ideology Eu-NeoClassical Liberalism, I suggest you try it and like Mikey you might like it and trade-in the whip aka the pen for freedom! Today is now your emancipation and like Neo in the Matrix, you have been set free! But like they say, it's difficult to teach old dogs new trick! . . copyright ©2021 Coakley4MICAL. All rights reserved.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
UNDERSTANDING WORDS MATTERS-2
. (1) paraconscious A new concept, the paraconscious, is presented as the third complementary member of the conscious/unconscious paradigm. A form of cognition dating from early intrauterine existence to sometime in the first year of life, the nature of the paraconscious is determined by the incompleteness of developing cognitive structures, giving rise to a form of knowing that does not allow for the generation of voluntarily retrievable mental representations. The paraconscious provides a conceptual framework for the understanding of "conflict-free" psychic development, thereby linking such apparently disparate phenomena as Stoller's core gender identity and primary transsexualism, Bruch's primary anorexia nervosa, night terrors, and ubiquitous convictions such as the belief in telephathy and the survival of death by human consciousness. It has profound implications for the treatment (or nontreatment in the case of primary male transsexualism) of significant psychiatric syndromes and raises crucial questions about the nature of learning during the earliest moments of our cognitive existence, about the nonlinguistic transmission of information and about the origin of certain widely held beliefs. . Ref: The paraconscious D M Donovan Children's Center for Developmental Psychiatry, St. Petersburg, Florida. PMID: 2768022 DOI: 10.1521/jaap.1.1989.17.2.223
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
(2) behoove be•hoove bĭ-hoo͞v′► intransitive verb- To be necessary or proper for. intransitive verb- To be necessary or proper. To be fit or meet for, with respect to necessity, duty, or convenience; be necessary for; become: now used only in the third person singular with it as subject.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
(3) Sexagenarian - A person between 60 and 69 years old. Septuagenarian - A person who is between 70 and 79 years old. Octogenarian - A person who is between 80 and 89 years old. Nonagenarian - A person who is between 90 and 99 years old. These words are for specific age groups, and they are used primarily in formal contexts. So don't intentionally misinterpret this for being a separatist or divisiveness.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
(4) Separatist sep•a•ra•tist sĕp′ər-ə-tĭst, sĕp′rə-, sĕp′ə-rā″-► n. One who secedes or advocates separation from a group, as from a nation or an established church. n. One who advocates cultural, ethnic, or racial separation. n. One who withdraws or separates himself; one who favors separation.
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
(5) Mulatto The English term and spelling mulatto is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese mulato. It was a common term in the Southeastern United States during the era of slavery. Some sources suggest that it may derive from the Portuguese word mula (from the Latin mūlus), meaning mule, the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey. Mulatto is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered dated and offensive. A mulatta is a female mulatto
@coakley4mical 2 years, 8 months ago
(6) Aryan Race The word Aryan is an example of how words that originate as terms to describe seemingly neutral concepts can be adapted, manipulated, and radicalized for ideological or sinister purposes. 3 The term Aryan often was used incorrectly to describe a racial grouping of people. Aryans, however, are not a race and an "Aryan master race" does not exist. The Aryan Race Adolf Hitler thought that people of Northern European descent were a superior race to all others known as the Aryan Race. Throughout World War 2 his goal was for that perfect race known as the "Übermensch". This ideology held that the Aryan Races, people of Northern European descent, represented a superior and "pure race". An ideal member of the Master Race was referred to as an "Übermensch", or literally, a "Super Man". Any person not of pure, Aryan descent was considered an "Untermensch", or literally, a "Sub-Human". The Aryan race is an idea that was formed in the 19th and early 20th century. The term "Aryan" comes from the Rig Veda and is the name of an ancient group of people in ancient Persia and India, who spoke an Indo-European language.
ohdrap4 2 years, 8 months ago
Hey Coakley, do not waste too much data on this writer, no one reads her column.
She writes well, yes, but most do not like what she has to say.
And remember, tho she has become Bahamian, she speaks from behimd the Lyfird Cay gates.
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