American English is a rich
language. It’s always changing and evolving. New words and usages come and go.
Many that come along are helpful. They clarify, they improve, they enhance and
enrich.
But some are just plain
stupid.
They obfuscate, they
complicate, they confuse. They reveal a lack of understanding.
One that really sets my teeth
on edge (sometimes) is “issue.”
Now, this one is complicated
because “issue” is a word of many meanings. Magazines have issues. Births have
issues. Politics has issues. Discussions have issues.
People do not.
Ninety-nine times out of
ninety-nine, when someone says they have an “issue” what they really mean is
they have a problem.
What’s wrong with “problem”?
Everyone knows what it means and, unlike “issue,” it means pretty much one
thing.
But some time ago, within my
memory, someone in the psychobabble business decided “problem” was negative,
and, well, we can’t have that, can we. If we use a word like “problem” that may
have negative connotations, we might hurt someone’s feelings.
“Issue” is a whole ’nother
thing. Nothing negative about “issue.” In fact, in this use, there’s really
nothing much at all in the word “issue.”
Except that when it gets
abused like this, I, for one, have a problem.
Oh brother, have you nailed it yet again. The weaving together of the interloper and its proper, natural, good and right and true usage . . . well, once more my friend, you write subtle genius. Now from the sublime to the ridiculous, have I bothered you yet with my piece on -- near as I can tell -- the most minute-to-minute abused word in our gregarious language? I mutter of "awesome." Please let me know if you haven't yet been abused with that particular plod of my thinking. And I'll enforce it upon ye. Hope all is well, old bud. JB
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. "Awesome" is definitely on the list of really stupid words.
DeleteThe use of the word "issue" instead of "problem" has always irked me too, Rod. This must be because, as you say, the word "problem" has been deemed politically incorrect--way too negative. My other pet peeve is the use of adjectives where nouns should go. I
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Nancy. Nouning verbs and verbing nouns is also all too common these days.
Delete