Veteran readers may recall our calling attention to the problem of
word inflation. Buzzwords are a prime culprit, and when they become so pervasive they’re virtually inaudible, we should start listening, as Judith Shulevitz, science editor of the
New Republic,
reminds us. Take
disruptive, which permeates cliché-ridden venues like the platforms at TED talks and the pages of Forbes. "
Disruptive doesn’t mean what it used to," she notes. "It’s no longer the adjective you hope not to hear in parent-teacher conferences. It’s what you want investors to say about your new social-media app"
― ah, there's the rub. For additional examples of insufferable argot, read
her essay.
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