In modern society we seem to have picked up so many overused words. Words that should be special but have become mundane. Sport and reality TV shows must shoulder the blame for much of this.
The most over-used word in the English language is probably “Awesome” which is used by young people with very little experience of the world to describe something that actually varies from the appalling to the reasonably good.
Just watch the X Factor and see how many times some run of the mill ordinary performance is described as “utterly awesome.” I know I’ve gone on about this before but usually the word is used to describe something that is anything but awesome. The problem is when you are confronted with something that is awesome (happens probably a handful of times in a whole lifetime) it will now be devalued by the over use of the word. Therefore it is a word that has had to exit from my vocabulary.
Likewise how many times have you heard a footballer being interviewed after the match refer to something as massive?
“How big was that win today?” comes the question.
“Massive” comes the spontaneous reply.
Mind you getting Carlos Tevez to use the word would be a step in the right direction and preferable to his response to a question on television after he had ripped Norwich apart. He refused to answer the question, grabbed a bottle of champagne that was going to be presented to him for being man of the match, ducked under the camera and walked off much to the embarrassment of teammate Vincent Kompany who was left to answer questions on his own and managed to sound intelligent and interesting and thankfully, didn’t describe the victory as “a massive win.”
Companies spend much of their life using pointless phrases as well. You buy a new mobile phone or a new TV set and you receive a letter which starts “Congratulations on buying an xxxxx,” as if you have done something hugely noteworthy in parting with your cash on their product.
Airlines usually end their trips with “Thank you for choosing (name of airline) today and we look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon.” This is a particularly nauseating one as the chances are you didn’t choose the airline it just happened to be the one going to the destination you picked or being used for the holiday you wanted and secondly even if you do go on aboard again soon you won’t be recognised.
Let’s go back to something like a new mobile phone. You receive an e-mail or letter with words like “relax – all you have to do now is sit back and enjoy your new (product name)” as if just because you have bought their phone all your worldly troubles just melt away in the enjoyment of the moment of owning their product. It really sound as if you should be holding a party and celebrating the fact that you now have their product, which of course is always so superior to others on the market. You are made to feel wise and clever. See if you get the same comments when the thing goes wrong and you have to complain (usually to a call centre in India where you can’t understand a word that is coming from the other end).
I well remember a friend getting so worked up at her washing machine breaking down and not getting anywhere with her complaints that she eventually phoned the company up and used the immortal words “you can keep your fucking appliance from science”. That will probably give the make away.
There is a huge gulf between what happens and how you are treated when you buy something and when you try to get it sorted when it goes wrong. Another thing that really bugs is the emphasis on attracting new custom but ignoring loyal customers. You see this all the time.
Say you join a gym and pay £50 a month (just an imaginary scenario). A few months down the road they have a special offer of £20 for six months as they try to entice new membership. This really p----s off existing members who are paying 15 times more and falling firmly into the “once we’ve got them lets ignore and fleece em” category. I’m convinced that is one of the primary reasons people leave organisations etc. The organisations, companies that flourish are those that look after loyal members instead of trying just for the quick fix of newness.
My thoughts today go across the pond to a friend who died yesterday. Ironically I never met Steve but he was still a mate. I belong to a virtual music club which has just 12 members. Nine of us come from the UK, two from USA and one from Austria. We e-mail and talk about music and have a real bond. It’s not a club you can join. You have to be invited and it is restricted to 12. I got to know one of the members through the internet and our shared love of the music and songs of Harry Chapin. When one of the members dropped out I was asked to join.
Two years ago some of us met up in the wonderful city of Liverpool where much of the emphasis was obviously on music and the Beatles in particular. So I have met some of the guys but not others – including Steve from Michegan
Isn’t it strange (and strangely wonderful) how in our modern world people we have never met face to face can have an impact on our lives and often steer them in a general direction. The virtual music club has given me considerable support over the years and I hope in some small way I have been able to support others, This is surely what life is all about.
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