When buzzword creation goes overboard
KINIBIZ In Tiger’s opinion, there really are more buzzwords than anyone can shake a stick at, and the thing is, these buzzwords are just mushrooming overnight, appearing from nowhere! Really, where do these buzzwords come from?
There are recent popular ones like “trust deficit”, “interpretation mistake”, and who could forget the wonderful “Units! Just units!”, courtesy of certain minister when asked about local “strategic investment company” 1MDB. There are also the ever-present ones, such as the more notable “cautiously optimistic” and “forward planning”, among the others available.
First of all, Tiger would just like to say something that has been sitting on Tiger’s chest for a while. Really? Forward planning, you say? Well, pray tell, what other kinds of planning are there? Backward planning? Wait, is that not something called hindsight? Honestly, some of the buzzwords out there sound like attempts to be clever, when they really are not.
Oh, and what about “interpretation mistake”? In the context of it being used to cover the bases of 1MDB, it sounds more like a dodge to Tiger. Redirecting the blame to the media rather than come clean? Well, there’s the reason for the rakyat’s “trust deficit”! It really is not rocket science, considering even a Tiger can figure this out.
What about “cautiously optimistic”? Sounds like an oxymoron more than anything, in Tiger’s opinion. It just sounds like someone choosing to straddle the line. Not coming out directly and making a choice, like “Hey, we are cautious/wary/other synonyms”, or “Hey, we think this is really going to be good!” Instead, the wonders that be have gifted the English language with “cautiously optimistic”.
At the same time, not to go back to 1MDB again, but “strategic investment company”? Well, Tiger is not sure what use any organisation would have for a company that makes non-strategic investments, but having to describe the company in that sense really instills a sense of confidence in those looking to utilise its services, no?
For the full story go to KINIBIZ .
This article was written by Xavier Kong.
For more news and views that matter, subscribe and support independent media for only RM0.36 sen a day:
Subscribe now