Words Matter

So this post, which I just found about 20 min ago is a blog written by a guy who pretty much believes the opposite of everything I do. Well, not the opposite, for sake of accuracy, but he certainly has different beliefs.

I had to agree with him mostly on this post though, except I do think he goes heavy on feminists and academia (especially in some of his other posts, holy shit)

This is not related, per say, to my year in France, but I still think that it is interesting, especially for blogging. Anytime I edit someone's essays I always tell them to strive for accuracy in words, but I don't always follow this advice.

This is a blog, so I don't take as much care in making sure words mean something, but I should, since words are important. They matter. Using words correctly matters. Understanding when a word is used incorrectly matters because you can't critically think about something if you don't understand what it means.

As in “the Swine Flu may be pandemic” or “this stock should rise 40 percent next year.” Based on what premise? Any argumentative conclusion containing a qualifier is suspect information. Remember, coffee may be bad for you, or it may be good for you. The media is in the business of selling hysteria so they can gain advertising revenue. They need media junkies who are addicted to their daily fix.

Turn off the TV, take the train, fly on a plane, read Hemingway and take everything the media reports with that proverbial grain of salt. And take off the face mask; you look ridiculous. The next time you face a real problem in life, try a little grace under pressure and skip the Chicken Little routine.