Whats In A Word?

I have written about the power of words before. A word can hold sway over a conversation and become a rallying cry for those that feel they have been aggrieved. The media understands this and uses words to their advantage to attract readers.

Words like 'massacre', now used for every time someone kills multiple victims, is a prime example. Growing up massacre was used when there was an attack and one group was totally annihilated with no survivors. Technically the way it is being used these days is not incorrect according to the dictionary definition and now every time we have more then one victim we also have a massacre.

The latest word that is making it to the media's happy list is 'outrage'. It seems that we have to be outraged about everything.

Here are some of the things that we are supposed to be outraged about or not.

I am outraged that President Obama ate dog meat. I am not really outraged as where he was living at the time he supposedly ate it dog meat is common fare.

I am outraged that Mit Romney put his dog on top of his car on a family trip. Poor judgement maybe but does it reach the level of outrage. I think not.

I am outraged that Urban Outfitters have put a Jewish Star on the left breast pocket of a T-Shirt because it evokes memories of the Holocaust. Again not outraged. Not everything is racist or anti religious or a source of defamation. Poor judgement? Yes!

I am outraged that a person, any person, can not marry whomever they fall in love. Now kiddies we have found something that I do get outraged over.

I am outraged that I can not get a knish or a decent egg cream in North Carolina. Yepperrs this one pisses me off. I have to take a 500 mile drive to kill this outrage, lol.

In Wednesday's Wall Street Journal one article is titled "To Pay Off Loans, Grads Put Off Marriage, Children" discussing the high human impact of borrowing to pay for college.

In the same section there is an article about how the University of California at Berkeley, a taxpayer supported college, will be borrowing as much as $447 million to pay for the renovation of the school's football stadium and a new training facility.

Let's see, the state of California is the verge of going bankrupt as spending exceeds revenues. Students are making momentous life decisions as they wallow in the student loan debt and state aid to public colleges is being cut. So, the solution must be to borrow a huge amount of money for a nicer football stadium?

Now that is an outrage especially when my son may be heading out there for graduate school next year.

Over the course of a week we are treated to multiple things that we are supposed to be outraged about and this trend will continue until a new talking point word is found by the media.

Remember 'gravitas'?

Randy