I received an e-mail the other day which said: Hi, I am Wendy, your Carbon Neutral Living Customer Advisor.
What does that mean and what has it to do with a company selling books?
I replied: Happy to hear it, Wendy. Every day I burn my toast to a cinder and cremate the roast when I put it in the oven. At least you are off-setting any carbon that I produce.
Her e-mail went on to say how her company has reduced their carbon footprint. What's all that about? Did they give everyone smaller shoes?
An Organisation I know has a Company slogan for their staff "Unlock Your Potential". Another nonsense. Why is peoples' potential locked in the first place? You employ people to work. If they are not giving it 100% you fire them. That's how it was in my time. You don't exhort people to unlock anything.
A similar slogan I heard is "move out of your comfort zone". What does this really mean? People in life hope to live it comfortably not to go out of their way to make it difficult. What good would it do me if I moved out of my comfort zone and sat on a cactus or porcupine; it will hardly do any good for my potential!
On TV the other day a Union leader talking about a dispute said they were going to have meaningful discussions with management. Implying that up to now they were talking nonsense and shouting Yabooo Hisss and sticking their tongues out at each other.
Other silly phrases often used are global warming, climate change, environmentally friendly, no pain no gain, you can be whatever you want to be, and so on.
The last one in particular is false. These days of automation and mechanisation and AI many people will not reach their full potential no matter how hard they try. When I was young my parents used to say, you can be whatever you want to be. I wanted to be a bicycle. That didn't happen!
...does anyone really take credit for creating English?
ReplyDeleteYes Tom; it was the Romans. When the Romans invaded England and the rest of Britain many years ago, (certainly before I was born), they spoke to each other in Latin. The natives of Britain spoke in various dialects; so the Romans created/invented English in the hope that the many dialects will cause us confusion. Today there are many various accents and dialects over here, for example between Scottish English, Irish, Welsh, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and other various accents. Even in London you have various accents between districts.
DeleteThen the Brits moved to America and now you have your own version of English.
Blame it all on the Romans, Tom.
Deus benedicat.