A political commentator, who shall remain unnamed, claims that five specific terms are “meaningless buzzwords.” This assertion led me to consult my language references to determine if my understanding of the term was flawed.
Here are the definitions from my two primary dictionaries:
buzzword: noun, Originally and chiefly U.S. a keyword, a catchword or expression currently fashionable; a term used more to impress than to inform, especially, a technical or jargon term.—Oxford English Dictionary
buzzword: noun, an important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen. —Merriam-Webster
In my opinion, buzzwords fall into two categories.
The first type, which is more common, is a deliberately pretentious term used instead of a more straightforward choice. The word may be perfectly suitable in a different, specialized context. For example, “granular” for detailed or “optics” for appearances.
But residents thinking about future Sandy-like events need granular specificity.
Optics over ethics never ends well, and being a jerk doesn’t make you a leader.
The other type of buzzword could be a newly coined term, such as metaverse. While buzzwords derived from professional terminology or jargon can be replaced by more familiar words, new terms like “metaverse” must be defined by the earliest writers who use them. Nowadays, most readers likely accept the term metaverse without issue, but in July 2021, authors of a tech article in the New York Times felt it necessary to explain it.
Remember hearing about “the internet”? Get ready for “the metaverse.”
The term comes from digital antiquity: Coined by the writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel, “Snow Crash,” then reimagined as the Oasis in the Ernest Cline novel “Ready Player One,” it refers to a fully realized digital world that exists beyond the analog one in which we live.
As a buzzword, the metaverse refers to a variety of virtual experiences, environments, and assets that gained momentum during the online-everything shift of the pandemic. –NYT, 7 July 2021.
Buzzwords are a form of jargon. At best, a buzzword describes something new that requires a new definition. At worst, it is the unexpected use of a word out of its usual context with the aim of impressing or intimidating listeners.
Now, let’s address the words that sparked this discussion.
All the words labeled as “meaningless buzzwords” by the political commentator are widely used in the media, but they are the standard terms for what they represent: racism, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia.
racism: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
bigotry: obstinate or intolerant devotion to one’s own opinions and prejudices.
xenophobia: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.
homophobia: hostility towards, prejudice against, or (less commonly) fear of homosexual people or homosexuality.
Islamophobia: intense dislike or fear of Islam, especially as a political force; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims.
The Ngram Viewer reveals an intriguing timeline for these words.
The word racism has been prominently featured in printed material since 1960. It experienced a notable plateau in the 1980s, a decline in the early 2000s, and a steady increase from 2010 onwards.
The word bigotry exhibited a decrease from 1826 to 2013, followed by an upturn in 2014.
The term xenophobia peaked in 2002 and again in 2018.
Homophobia has been on the rise since 1972, with a slight downturn from 1999 to 2007 before resuming its upward trajectory.
As the newest addition to the group, Islamophobia saw a dramatic increase starting in 1993.
The frequency of a word in the media does not automatically classify it as a “buzzword.” A buzzword is superficial and fleeting. When a word initially considered a buzzword, like metaverse, becomes the primary term for a well-established concept, it ceases to be a buzzword.
Questioning the commentator’s motives in dismissing these five significant words as “meaningless buzzwords” is only natural.
<p>The post “Meaningless Buzzwords”? first appeared on DAILY WRITING TIPS.</p>
