THIS IS NOT A TIRE

July 13th, 2009

I’m quite certain that more than one of my teachers told me it was not proper to define a word using the word you were trying to define. It provides no clear meaning, and yet it has become a very popular aid to common conversation. If you are trying to offer clarity one should elaborate, identify, and characterize with vocabulary other than the term of choice. Otherwise, you have left the audience wanting more and remaining uncertain of what it is you really want to convey. This is similar to raising your voice and over pronouncing to someone who doesn’t speak English. It’s still English, and they still don’t understand what you’re saying. No matter how sharp your Midwest accent appears to others…no comprende, no comprende. Here’s the thing, more than one person has explained to me: more is better; but doubling up doesn’t really equate to improved communication, or does it?

Brilliant is the orator who can pacify a room without ever really saying anything of substance, and bravo he who can coin phrases of meaningless rubbish giving world populations new ways to avoid communicating to even their closest friends (you know you’ve said it…”It is what it is.”) Arggg, “it is what it is? ” I’m sure this was birthed in a think tank in DC while trying to help an official out of a sticky situation. “Well team, he has to go out there and say something, but we don’t want him to own anything now. If we can get him out of this we don’t want him ‘on the record’ saying anything that can be used against him….hummmmm. I’ve got it!” Keep in mind, these think tank folks have vocabularies ten times the size of mine, and time and time again you hear these words on CNN, MSN, and obviously FOX (you better believe you hear it on FOX…except, I don’t watch FOX so I’m hoping they say it there…LOL, kidding (but about which point??)) “It is what it is” doesn’t leave too much of an opening for follow up questioning, which clearly is why it is used so frequently. This is analogous to situations when you were a child and your mom would tell you ‘no’ and when you asked why the answer was ‘because I said so.’ How frustrated did you feel…? Well, this appears to be the grown-up version. I would ask for a cease and desist on its use, but I think I am far too tardy with expressing my views on this one.

As an aside to this lovely diatribe, please monitor your presentation of delivering information you just heard from someone else. These people exist, similar to the repeating problem. These guys repeat what someone else just said, but it’s the presentation that throws a flag. Repeating and owning do not go hand and hand, and yet time and time again you have meetings with these people. The boss makes a point (astute or not,) and ‘that guy’ takes the floor moments later and says just what the boss said. Oh, he may rephrase, or not. He may inflect differently, or not. Most of the time these people think themselves in situations where they are establishing their worth, or increasing their position within the hierarchy and trying to impress the ‘big guy,’ what have you; but if you have the power to step back and really listen, you know the voice is small and unimaginative. However, if you have the power to step back and really listen, you know the voice is small and unimaginative.

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