Has anyone else encountered this? You absolutely will, if you have interactions with the corporate world.
In business, nothing is said directly. There is a euphemism or lingo for everything. People don't quit; the company undergoes "attrition". We aren't talking in person; we are going to "interface". And on and on. I particularly enjoy the 4- or 5-word terms and titles that are fairly meaningless and totally interchangeable (ex: business strategy process management).
Personally, I find it a little silly; but everyone else uses it with an earnestness that makes me feel out-of-place for desiring plain speech. I've actually found books on this phenomenon on the library, directing me on the proper language for career success. Phooey. The end goal seems to be an over-nice political-correctness so cushioned that any actual meaning flounders and is lost. So much for a Fallon-esque "lucid brevity". In defiance, I've started to aim for greater transparency and directness in my conversation. I've become more attuned to my own verbal evasions, and try to catch inconsistencies between my meaning and my message.
But can it last? Before too long, I might be expressing a hope to "interface", "re-connect", and "touch base" with my "more distant school colleagues" as we continue "going forward" on our various projects, plans, and processes. Heavens.
I've mentioned my observations to professionals in non-business fields, and this seems to be unique to business and, to a lesser extent, the legal world. So, am I the only one who has encountered this?
LC
I received a VERY exciting email today. As some of you know, I was accepted to Northwestern's post-grad school for science (my purpose in taking part-time science classes is as yet undisclosed; those who do know, please keep it private).
I was accepted CONDITIONALLY, however - provided that I show completion of certain prerequisites. Thankfully I took enough Calculus courses back in my Business days, and I thought that my AP Bio class would finish out the requirements. Wrong. They informed me that I'd have to take an online or community college Biology class before I could attend Northwestern.
At this point, my PLS debating skills kicked in, and I wrote the admissions committee an impassioned email citing my PLS science classes as a well-rounded scientific preparation. Excerpts from my email included: "...please consider that I took three additional science courses at Notre Dame, all of which were through my major and thus are not listed as science courses. ...In my studies, I read such authors as Darwin, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. The third course [Power's]...explored psychology, psychiatry, and the natural world; readings included Piaget, Erikson, Milgram, and Chomsky."
Well, I JUST received the following email from the Northwestern Admissions Committee:
"Lillian,
The decision committee has decided that the combination of the three science courses you took will satisfy the biology requirement.
Best,
---
Admissions Coordinator
Northwestern University"
Awww yeah.
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