[ExI] Language Changing Before Our Very Eyes

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Randall Randall
> Subject: Re: [ExI] Language Changing Before Our Very Eyes
> 
> 
> On May 21, 2007, at 9:59 PM, Lee Corbin wrote:
> > ..."My husband and I have
> > issues."  I say that even five (5!) years ago, that would have been
> > "My husband and I have problems".  ...
> 
> Among my circle of (physical) acquaintances, "issues"
> has been in use since at least the early 90s, sometimes
> as a conscious word choice.  If someone has problems,
> one is expected to "solve" them.  You can live with
> issues, and learn to deal with them without feeling a
> need to fix them.
...
> Randall Randall <randall at randallsquared.com>


Ja, that is one way to see it.  The replacement of problems with issues may
have come up thru sales however.  An issue is a problem for which a number
of solutions exist, so the task at hand is to choose one and implement same.
An issue is not a show stopper, but rather a task to be accomplished.  

Sales people buy in to all the motivational speaking fads, do they not?
Having an issue instead of a problem is an example of positivization of
language.  There are no problems here, merely opportunities to succeed, for
instance.  I see positivization of language and motivation-speak as ways
that sales people struggle to make a crummy job more bearable.  We engineers
are lucky in that way: our jobs are already bearable, even enjoyable most of
the time.  

Of course, the sales people make the actual money, and end up our bosses and
subsequently bully us around, but that is the price we pay.

spike