Contrary to what may now seem like popular belief, the term "strategery" was not actually used by President Bush, God love him. Though I can't find the video on YouTube to prove it to you, Will Ferrel used this "term" in a skit where he parodied Bush. Sadly, it wouldn't be shocking if Bush actually had used the term "strategery."The English language is constantly growing, changing and adapting to our needs. Well...apparently this word is gaining credibility (or maybe just popularity) and before we know it will be in the dictionary. FoxNews was all over the breaking news today about Hillary's comment that she wouldn't rule out running as Obama's VP. The political analysis abounded with Shepard Smith at the helm. At one point, as he segued into a guest political analyst interview, he stated that it might be time for some "strategery" on Obama's part. The guest echoed Shepard's use of the word, not once, but twice. I think Shepard's use of the word was tongue in cheek. The other guy seemed as though he believed this is a really a word.
Is our language so polluted that we can't tell the difference between a real word and a made up word? Am I naïve enough to think that the guest political analyst was serious? Or am I just concerned enough that I believe this is an example of our language being butchered? The trickle down effect of something like this could be very real and could be diluting the education of our children. Who do we have to thank for that? Educators...authority figures...political leaders...news commentators? Am I just full of crap? Am I overly concerned about whether or not our children really is learning and whether or not they is getting a quality education?
Image from Baragona's History of the English Language & General Linguistics Home Page.(Please click on the God love him link above if you aren't familiar with the "Is our children learning?" reference.)
1 comment:
That Bush video is hilarious.
Some food for thought...are you being overly concerned? I just don't think those words should become actual words in the dictionary unless they are listed as slang. What is missed is the cultural, political, or social context in which those words have evolved. Then to look at them as serious words later, rather than the joke they were originally, is where the true disservice lies. This is where I take issue.
I saw the Will Ferrel skit and it was pretty darn funny. Bush is too easy to make fun of, but one good thing I can say about him is he does have a sense of humor and ability to laugh at himself, especially while the rest of the world is laughing at him.
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