THE PITFALLS OF EUPHEMISM


If ever there was an offensive euphemism, the term ˜ collateral damage has to be one. But what is the real purpose in the application of euphemisms? And what, if anything is wrong with using them?

Dr Kenneth Jernigan of the US Department of Education made a speech some years ago on the pitfalls of political correctness. In it, as an example, he described the evolution of one specific term. It started after the First World War as the term ˜shell shock , two simple, clear syllables. This evolved after the Second World War into ˜combat fatigue ”only two words but longer. Then the term mutated into a four-word term with its own acronym ”PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder . As Dr Jernigan put it:

Euphemisms and the politically correct language which they exemplify are sometimes only prissy, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes tiresome. Often, however, they are more than that. At their worst they obscure clear thinking and damage the very people and causes they claim to benefit. [3]

The term euphemism derives from the Greek words eu meaning well, and pheme , meaning speak. Webster's dictionary defines the term as ˜a mild or agreeable expression substituted for a realistic description of something disagreeable. [4] It seems, then, that if we use euphemism what we are really doing is failing to use a realistic term.

I happen to agree with Dr Jernigan's characterization of euphemisms on a kind of continuum from the prissy through the ridiculous and tiresome to the obfuscation that they inevitably cause. But the motivation for creating euphemistic language is what creates a potential ethical quandary and that motivation is often grounded in pubic relations' objectives.

[3] Jernigan, Kenneth [accessed 19 March 2003] The Pitfalls of Political Correctness. Copyright National Federation of the Blind. http://www.blind.net/bpg00005.htm

[4] Webster's New Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language (1992), PMC Publishing Company, Inc, New York, p 336




Ethics in Public Relations. A Guide to Best Practice
Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice (PR in Practice)
ISBN: 074945332X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 165

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