One of my favourites:
Death - Negative patient outcome
!

Massive bombing campaign - shock and awe
Invasion of Iraq - Regieme Change
...too many to continue...
Cheers, Translator

Oh, come on now Translator. Continue. I knew you would have some good ones and I'm also interested to see what Nard can come up with.

Euphemisms, rhetoric, metaphor, doublespeak -it's nothing new! Why, even Mark Antony showed his skills when speaking to the
"vulgars" he continued to call Brutus an "honorable man!"

choice: abortion
capital punishment: death
detainee: prisoner of war
suicide bomber, martyr: murderer

Who are more responsible? Politicians and their finely honed spinners or the media and their frenzied talking heads - smiling brightly, hair perfect, and all knowing?

It is increasingly difficult to recognize up from down and hot from cold.
A mantra to my students, "READ, READ, READ!"
Or alas, the temperature may rise to 451F! http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Doublespeak



[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 10-26-2004).]

Post traumatic stress disorder: shell shock
It sounds so much "nicer" as the former, doesn't it?

Don't know that I'd equate choice with abortion; I'm pro-choice, simply because I believe there are times it is an acceptable choice.

Ditto for me Korby. 'Abortion' is just too cute a word for what it is.

Not to mention "Abortion" has been used to mean "Miscarriage" when they are in fact two different things. Back when they didn't like to talk about such things, "Pregnancy" was termed "Interruption of Menses," or "Interrupted Menses," something like that.

I would not agree with any of fjpalumbo's choices, except, perhaps, the detainee.
Enemy Combatant: POW.
Cheers, Translator

Like the other euphemisms, I didn't understand Frank's to be anything other than examples of man using language to say soemthing without saying it. I don't know that there is anything to disagree or agree with. The reality is that those terms are often used in ways that allow us to not honestly and consciously deal with what we're talking about. We use language to mislead, rather than to make clear. are ou disagreeing that these terms are used by people? Not sure what your point is in reference to Frank's post.



[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 10-28-2004).]

My point is very simple - his euphemisms are not proper euphemisms. whereas the other ones here that were mentioned have been generally picked up by the media as the new slogan-defintions of the issues, his are infrequently seen, or, if they are seen, are not used interchaengebly with the words proper.
Cheers, Transaltor

Are you saying you've never seen the news media use "choice" when referring to abortion, or "detainee" when referring to a POW? Or suicide bomber or martyr when talking about the murder of innocent people? I find that hard to believe. I must be missing your "simple" point. Because they're widely used, I don't see any grounds for saying they are not "proper" euphemisms.

Collateral damage

Unpleasantness

Whether understatement qualifies as euphemism I don't know, but this one provokes a smile every time. ABC News ran a video taken by a bar security camera during the San Francisco earthquake of October 1989. It was one of the most spectacular pieces of footage you'd ever see--an entire Hollywood special effects team couldn't have done better. Behind the bar were huge shelves of bottles and glasses, easily 10 feet high apiece. A young woman was running between the bar and the shelves--no sound on the video, but it was obvious she was screaming hysterically. As she passed each shelf, a fraction of a second later it crashed just where she had been the previous instant, in perfect sequence, like dominoes. And what did newscaster Peter Jennings have to say as commentary? In his polished accent with his deadpan manner, "The barmaid is clearly aware that something is amiss." Gotta laugh at that every time!

Speaking of Michael Moore, he was in Ft. Lauderdale last evening stirring up a frenzy about 60 Absentee Ballots that have "disappeared."

The election official has remailed the "lost" ballots, but Mr. Moore was sure to rile up the crowd. Question: Why does he always look the same? In a day's time I may change shirts, slacks to shorts, shoes to sandals, etc. I am sure that many of our readers here do the same thing.

As far back as I can remember, he always looks the same, i.e, scraggly beard, baseball cap, black jacket, black shirt, etc. Who is he trying to emulate? Johhny Cash? But he at least kept clean shaven. Doesn't this guy have a life? I bet the guys on Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, or whatever the show is called, would love to a make over of Michael Moore. Comments?

[This message has been edited by biplane1 (edited 10-29-2004).]

A makeover of Michael Moore would indeed be an attempt on making a silk purse of a sow's ear.