Back in my MBNA days, we were always being told not to use ‘bank jargon’ when speaking with customers (uh…I mean Customers). For instance, credit analysts turned the noun ‘decision’ (as in ‘credit decision’) into a verb, as in ‘to decision’. On many occasions, an analyst could be heard telling a Customer that their loan had yet to be ‘decisioned’. As a grammar freak, it always sent a chill down my spine.
In Blogville, I’ve noticed a tendency to use quite a bit of jargon as well. Here are a few of my favorites:
Red herring
Straw man
Logical fallacy
Ad hominem
I’ve also noticed that you frequently use this jargon and refuse to continue the conversation/debate on those grounds. Here’s a sample conversation:
Bloglodyte A: Well, I think blah, blah, blah because blah, blah, blah and then blah, blah, blah. How is that fair?
Bloglodyte B: That’s a logical fallacy!
Bloglodyte A: But blah, blah, blah and then blah, blah, blah. What did you think of blah, blah, blah?
Bloglodyte B: That’s a red herring!
Bloglodyte A: Wait a minute, I blah, blah, blah. Don’t you sometimes blah, blah, blah?
Bloglodyte B: That’s a straw man!
Bloglodyte A: You’re an asshole.
Bloglodyte B: Ad hominem!
As a public service, I just wanted to let all of you know that you always sound a bit pretentious when you do it and that people outside of Blogville don’t know what the hell you’re talking about and they’re making fun of you behind your backs. If you’re ok with that, then carry on.
In your defense, at least the jargon you use appears to be comprised of real words.
Posted by Dominique in General
