Words I Hate

We all have pet peeves. My pet peeves have mostly to do with words. Maybe it's because I'm an editor, but some words really irritate me. Overused words. Misused words. Made-up-on-the-spot-and-used-with-confidence words.

But do you know what really gets under my skin? Words with hidden agendas built in. Often the word itself is fine, but the way it’s used has been corrupted.

This week I felt like venting, so here’s a short list of my least favorite (or most often butchered) words. Enjoy!

Heterosexism
I first heard this word in college. My professor noted that a TV commercial was “heterosexist” because it featured only straight couples and no homosexuals. I couldn’t believe my ears. Now every commercial must show gay couples too? The word was designed to make homosexual behavior seemed normative. Talk about an agenda!

Intolerance
In the dictionary tolerance basically means putting up with something you don’t like. But in our culture the usage has strayed far from this denotation. Now tolerance means agreeing with or actively endorsing any and every behavior, no matter how bizarre or evil. “Intolerance” has also become the catchall for anything bad. A friend of mine heard someone opine that Nazism was the result of unchecked intolerance. No doubt the Nazis were intolerant. But was that really their greatest sin? What about racism or genocide? Nope. They were just intolerant. If only they had taken the proper diversity training classes perhaps the holocaust could have been averted.

Dialogue
Now I know what you’re thinking: What could possibly be wrong with dialogue? Again, nothing if you adhere to the strict dictionary definition—“an exchange of ideas and opinions.” But that’s often not how it’s used. “Dialogue” has come to designate a softheaded attitude toward truth and absolutes. This is especially true regarding religious dialogue, where all participants are implicitly forced to surrender any exclusive claim to the truth for the sake of an artificial unity.

Fundamentalism
OK, if you’ve read this far you’re probably thinking I’m a fundamentalist. But you’d be wrong! The term “fundamentalism” is thrown around a lot these days and often at the wrong targets. For instance, all evangelicals are routinely labeled as fundamentalists by the mainstream press. Extremists of all stripes are called fundamentalists too. Even terrorists are called fundamentalists.

A serious clarification is due. Fundamentalism was a movement born in the early part of the 20th century in Protestantism. In reaction to modernity’s attacks on the authority of the Bible, Milton and Lyman Steward published a series of tracks called “The Fundamentals.” It listed the nonnegotiable doctrines of the Christians faith such as the belief in the Virgin Birth and the Ressurection of Christ. The movement that resulted also had particular views of the surrounding culture. Today fundamentalists are people who—in addition to holding to these core beliefs—have an isolationist approach to the culture. They may shun theaters, dancing or the consumption of any alcohol. To apply the term fundamentalist to people who blow up buildings is not only inaccurate, it’s also a rather cruel insult to the quite harmless teetotaling Christians who rightfully bear the title.

Carbon Offsets
I’m not against the environment. Far from it, in fact. I think creation care is paramount, especially in this day of wanton environmental destruction. But what irritates me is the new practice of buying carbon offsets in order to continue an affluent lifestyle while assuaging “eco-guilt” (I may have just coined that term, which I realize is a little hypocritical). For the most part buying carbon offsets is an elitist practice that allows jet-setting celebrities to live lavish lifestyles and then lecture the rest of us about our impact on the planet all while keeping a straight face. Sorry Al Gore.