There’s no here there
Posted: December 8, 2010 Filed under: Expressions, Language | Tags: Expressions, hear hear!, spelling 4 Comments »I have noticed a lot of folks on Facebook concurring with someone else by offering up a hearty “Here, here.”
Now, I’m pretty sick of all the “pet peeves of language misuse” that people bandy about, so I thought twice about even bringing this up. However, this is a case of using an expression without thinking about what it really means and, as a result, misspelling it. I think it is important to have an appreciation for where words and phrases come from and why we use them in the forms we do.
For the record, the proper spelling is “Hear, hear!” As in, “listen to what this guy is saying; he’s right on!” The Oxford says it is derived from “Hear him! Hear him!” “Hear, hear” has been the accepted form of cheering in the House of Commons for centuries.
It’s a little thing. I make all kinds of mistakes, myself, especially on Facebook (I swear they mess up the words as I type them). But I like an expression to actually make sense literally, if possible. It’s pretty cool that people are using such an old expression in such a new medium. So it just seems a shame to get the spelling wrong.
If you’re down with that, say “Hear, hear!”
Bubble and froth, slobber and cream
Posted: October 25, 2010 Filed under: Language, writing | Tags: Matthew Rogers, Stephen Fry, typography 2 Comments »Pure word joy.
When typos get hairy
Posted: September 22, 2010 Filed under: Copywriting & Creative | Tags: billboard, outdoor board, South Bend, typos 1 Comment »
Photo by Lee MacMillan
Apparently, the curriculum in South Bend is just a little more progressive than most. (To read more about it, click on the photo.)
Wordcracker: Ground Zero Mosque
Posted: August 24, 2010 Filed under: Dysphemism, Ethics, Euphemism, Language, Publishing, Wordcracker | Tags: ground zero, journalism, media, mosque, writing 8 Comments »
What do you call a phrase like “Ground Zero Mosque?” Loaded language, for sure. Actually, there is a word for it: dysphemism. Dysphemism is roughly the opposite of euphemism. While euphemism is the softening of language or ideas to make them less offensive, dysphemism is all about making the language or idea more offensive. That, of course, has been the motive of “journalists” who have used the phrase “Ground Zero Mosque” in their headlines. You can read (and listen to) more about that here at OnTheMedia.org.
What makes it dysphemism? For starters, when you put those three words together, it sounds as if the mosque is going to be right at Ground Zero. There is nothing separating the word “Mosque” from the words “Ground Zero.” In reality, however, there are two New York City blocks separating Ground Zero from the mosque building site. A word like “near” would certainly have helped preserve the truth: “Mosque Near Ground Zero.” But the news writers chose to be less precise and more sensational.
This is no basic form of dysphemism, however. An example of regular, run-of-the-mill dysphemism would be calling a printed paper edition of a periodical the “dead tree edition.” There’s nothing untrue about it. It merely seeks to create a negative reaction in the reader by focusing on what might be seen as a drawback of printed publications when compared to their online counterparts. But “Ground Zero Mosque” is more diabolical because it also makes use of hyperbole. It exaggerates the truth. It dispenses with those two blocks and puts Ground Zero and the Mosque within one typed space of each other.
This is much the same sort of dysphemism as “snail mail.” Compared to email, the postal service is slower. But is it really as slow as a snail? Of course not. Exaggeration. The difference here, however, is that nobody really believes mail is delivered by snail or that it is really that slow. “Snail mail” is dysphemism in search of humor. “Ground Zero Mosque” is dysphemism in search of division and fear.
Whether you are for or against a mosque being built two blocks from Ground Zero, I hope we can all agree that it is irresponsible for news agencies such as the Associated Press and Fox News to use “Ground Zero Mosque” in a headline. Both did. And it is equally irresponsible for the public to allow itself to be manipulated by such headlines. You may say that sticks and stones will break your bones, and that words will never harm you. But it is most often words that start the sticks and stones to flying.
I am afraid that “Ground Zero Mosque” just may be ground zero for something that threatens this free country even more than terrorism. The slow death of objective journalism and, even scarier, our ability to recognize it when we see it.
For another great example of dysphemism check this out, which chronicles the transformation of the “estate tax” to the “death tax.”
Unsettling
Posted: July 26, 2010 Filed under: signage 3 Comments »
Just back from Cape Cod, I thought I might share what I found to be an interesting sign in the little hamlet of Sandwich. In fact, these signs are scattered throughout Massachusetts wherever the speed limits are reduced to 30 and even 25 miles per hour.
Interesting because, if I were writing the sign, I would use DENSELY POPULATED AREA or something similar. THICKLY SETTLED sounds like residue in the bottom of a bucket. Or it sounds like maybe the whole town suffers from a low IQ. Or perhaps a high Body Mass Index number. It makes me want to exercise.
Fact is, history and geography books often describe a locale as “thickly settled,” rather than highly populated or densely populated, but on a sign in a small town, it just seems strange, as if the people there are stepping all over each other, or lying head to toe like elephant seals on the beach, sweating but just too lazy to get up and find a breeze. A sort of peanut butter of humanity spread on a cracker of earth.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. The density of Sandwich is really very low–houses and shops built in the 1600s and 1700s tucked back in the trees or on hilltops. It is quaint and archaic, just like the phrase on the sign. Sandwich was incorporated in 1639. That’s about as settled as a place can get on this side of the Atlantic, thick or not.
English is a great major for a writer unless it costs a major fortune
Posted: June 2, 2010 Filed under: writing | Tags: Brandeis, College major, English, NPR, tuition, University of Memphis 6 Comments »
As an English major who makes a living as a writer (and is a proud member of POEM, the Professional Organization of English Majors), I took special interest in a report on NPR today about Heather. She wanted to be a writer, so she majored in English. But, in contrast to my own humble education at a modest state university close to home, Heather went to Brandeis University where the full cost of attendance tops $51,000 a year. So, not only did she graduate summa cum laude with a double major in English and creative writing, she also graduated $85,000 in debt.
Now, she is questioning the value of an English degree because she is finding it hard to find a job. Obviously, Brandeis isn’t able to teach common sense (in fact, private colleges encourage student loans as a way to make their tuition “affordable,” Affordable!) No, instead, Heather should be questioning the value of a Brand name education. The major subject is not the problem. It’s the major debt.
Majoring in English was a great choice for Heather. When you learn to write, you unlock opportunity many people never have, the ability to articulate what you think, how you feel, what you do, or how something works. You learn how to engage others, to motivate, instruct, and persuade. When you study literature, you also study all of its contexts. So you learn about history, about social and economic realities, about human interaction, psychology, philosophy, and, if you read the “Cetology” chapter of Moby Dick, even science! And, of course, you learn about the really big ideas: truth, love, and life. There is no greater major in the world. So, to me it is no surprise that despite its reputation as a major without immediate practical application, English ranks six among the top ten majors, according to Princeton Review.
In Heather’s case, the poor decision wasn’t to major in English; it was to do it at a university she could not afford. Poor, indeed. Unfortunately, that choice becomes much more difficult for those who wish to pursue grad school and a career in academics because a prestigious degree comes in handy in the outrageously competitive arena we call academia. But Heather wants to be a writer, pure and simple. You do that by writing. And writing. And reading. And reading. And writing some more. No college, no matter how Hogwartsian it may be, can magically make you a great writer. If you can truly afford Brandeis, go ahead! I would do the same, if they would have me. But a motivated writer of modest means can get what she needs from a good in-state public program, start her post-collegiate life on sound financial ground, and save the magic for her manuscripts.
Attractive marketing? The ubiquitous refrigerator magnet
Posted: May 13, 2010 Filed under: Copywriting & Creative, signage, writing | Tags: Advertising, Books for Kids, Copywriting & Creative, Homewood Suites, public relations, Refrigerator magnets 4 Comments »
What’s the attraction of refrigerator magnets? They clutter. They allow you to attach more clutter. They fall off and break, which makes your clutter just that much more junky looking. Yet, we have quite a few at my house, mostly souvenirs from family trips, including a beheaded soldier from Williamsburg. We never keep the ones from the pest control people, real estate agents, or other commercial enterprises. Usually they are ugly, what with their phone numbers and lousy slogans and faces, and who needs ugly clutter?
Other people I know have the whole alphabet, plastic letters that let you spell words, even bad ones–which is a fun thing to do when you are at their house and you’ve gone into the kitchen for that third glass of Chardonnay. Still other people have magnetic poetry, words you can arrange and rearrange to create all kinds of poems, especially bad ones. And then there are the magnets that act like frames for photos or kiddy art. We had one that said “My Kid Did This.” That, of course, invites a parent to post a cute art project or good report card. Or, it can become a kind of Frame of Shame. A bad report card. A photo of a messy room. A suspension notice from school. It depends, I suppose, on what kind of parent you are. And what kind of kid you’ve got. I think we just took down that magnet altogether.
I have the chance to write everything from annual reports to internet ads. Recently, believe it or not, I wrote a refrigerator magnet. Which got me to thinking about the whole genre. I found out that the average number of views a single household refrigerator magnet garners in a year is around 14,600. That’s pretty good. Create an especially nice one and there are plenty of people who will add it to their collections. People like Louise J. Greenfarb (doesn’t that just sound like the name of a magnet collector?). She has more than 40,000, and her cars (and everything else made of metal, I’m sure) are covered up with them. You can read about her collection here.
Interestingly (or not) there’s no official name for a magnet collector in the way there is for a coin collector (numismatist) or a stamp collector (philatelist) or even a collector of teddy bears (arctophillist). Magnut, maybe.
Although I may sometimes question the wisdom of commercial magnets, the one I worked on is an exception. It was commissioned by Homewood Suites to promote their partnership with the Books for Kids Foundation. Unlike other companies that might turn to the refrigerator magnet for marketing or public relations, Homewood actually has the refrigerators to put them on, which makes the whole strategy a stroke of genius. Think about it. Every suite has a fridge, the perfect place to exhibit a magnetic message and reach a captive audience. At the same time magnets just make the kitchen that much more like home, which is the whole idea behind Homewood Suites, anyway.
Naming your shade of green
Posted: April 8, 2010 Filed under: Copywriting & Creative, writing | Tags: Advertising, advertising strategy, business writing, Copywriting & Creative, creative, green marketing, marketing, sustainability, writing Leave a comment »
When a person is born, the first thing we do is give her a name. A name formalizes the baby’s existence, gives us an easy way to make reference to her and provides a gateway to understanding and communication. Proper names are often given to inanimate objects, as well. It’s a way of humanizing them and making them seem more “knowable.” Give your third-quarter sales initiative a name, and people know you mean business. Suddenly, everyone has a name to rally around, a cause to champion, an identity to share.
The name of the game lately has been sustainability. Companies have been establishing their green initiatives and then formalizing them with a name or at least a theme.
That means some good, yet challenging, work for writers like me. Here are three such projects for high-profile companies.
1.
The first one is is for FedExCup and their effort to bring more sustainability to the game of golf, which by its very nature (or lack of it) isn’t particularly eco-friendly. Basically a golf course is a vast monoculture of grass and a lot of fertilizer. However, through this program, FedEx is working with an organization called The First Tee whose mission is to “impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.” It’s a noble goal. Even if a golf course can’t necessarily create a full-fledged sustainable ecosystem, it can help sustain something at least as valuable. Successful children. So how do you combine golf and the future in a name? Like this.
FedExCup Fore!Ever
2.
This next one is for the chemistry company Buckman. It is, no doubt, a challenge for a chemical company to go green. But Buckman is doing a lot to reduce its own environmental footprint and to help their clients do the same, reducing energy usage, water usage and waste in a variety of industries through advanced technologies. Buckman’s corporate color has always been green, so the name and theme for their sustainability initiative was a natural. Here’s the cover line and first page of copy from their just-published Sustainability Report.
3.
This last one is for International Paper. They just released a whole website based on this idea to showcase their sustainability efforts. Three of the sections there were written by yours truly: Carbon Footprint, Paper Sourcing and Recycled Paper.
There’s nothing unique or proprietary about “Down to Earth”. But it fits the general objective well, which is to provide straight talk on environmental issues and set straight some commonly held myths about pulp and paper. As I have said before, finding a unique name for your green campaign gets increasingly hard as more and more companies stake their claims. Better hurry.
A (rib) bone to pick with Forbes and Memphis’ “miserable” status
Posted: March 2, 2010 Filed under: Publishing, writing | Tags: Forbes, Memphis, Most miserable cities Leave a comment »Forbes magazine ranked Memphis third most miserable city this year. In case you think that Memphis is nothing more than crime and Elvis, barbecue and paddlewheelers, put down that pork rib and listen up.
Memphis has a lot more than rock-and-roll; we’ve got the NBA pick-and-roll. The Civil War and civil rights. Beale Street joints and Broadway shows. BBQs and corporate HQs. In Memphis, we’ve got soul. We sit on the porch and sit in the stands. We sit in the center of the U.S. population, delivering goods and services faster than anybody, thanks not to the paddle wheeler but the FedEx jet. And that muddy Mississippi? It happens to roll past some of the best-tasting artesian well water on the planet. This is the real Memphis, one rock-a-billy, hip-hop, can’t stop kind of place. Here you can find yourself or find a cure for cancer. We’re a lazy trolley ride. We’re bustling crowds. We’re a walk in the largest urban park in the nation. Looking for a place to live, work, learn, play, and explore? Read on. We’ll have you right where we want you. Here with us.
Find your place.
Memphians live in downtown lofts with views of the Mississippi, in suburban colonials with big yards for the kids, and in Craftsman foursquares near park amenities and our world-class zoo. We share lush, tree-lined thoroughfares and white-steepled churches. We share synagogues, temples and mosques. We share upscale shopping and a low cost of living. We share more sunny days than the folks in Miami. And we share what we have with those less fortunate. In fact, Memphians were recently named some of the most generous people in the nation. Here, it’s not a matter of where you want to live but how. You’ll find your place in Memphis.
Roll up your sleeves.
Work brings a lot of people to Memphis. What kind of work do you want to do? Shipping or logistics? Information technology? Biotechnology or health care? Manufacturing? It’s all here. FedEx, Delta, AutoZone, International Paper, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and many more high-profile employers create exciting and dynamic career opportunities. Want to strike out on your own? Entrepreneurship thrives here. In fact, Inc. magazine has listed Memphis as one of the best cities in the nation for starting and growing a business. The arts, education, government–they’re all great ways to earn your keep in Memphis. So roll up your sleeves and join us.
Take a desk.
Wonder if Memphis is a smart move? Progressive city and county school systems along with more than 30 private and parochial schools offer a variety of educational choices. We have more than 20 universities, colleges, and professional schools, too, devoted to everything from health care to religion. Memphis is home to the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, the medical colleges of the University of Tennessee, and Rhodes College, consistently listed in the top tier of best liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. In Memphis, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to continue your education or earn an advanced degree.
Go out and play.
When you are ready for some fun, so is Memphis. Check out NBA Grizzlies basketball, AAA Redbirds baseball, pro hockey, PGA golf, and professional tennis. Visit historic attractions dating back to 1807. Enjoy unique museums and compelling art galleries. Discover our musical heritage. See the pandas and the 3,000 other animals at the zoo. Head south to the casinos of Tunica. Party at Memphis in May events and other world-renowned festivals. Shop at specialty boutiques and regional malls. Enjoy nightlife that lasts ’til dawn. Tired yet?
Discover something new.
Ah, the great outdoors. Memphis is close to lakes, rivers, and streams perfect for boating, fishing, paddling and exploring. State parks provide excellent camping. Biking and walking trails abound, especially at Shelby Farms, the largest urban park in the country. The Wolf River Greenway and the Memphis Greenline will soon provide miles and miles of uninterrupted hiking, biking and skating bliss. Want to wonder a bit more? A great variety of exciting destinations lie within a day’s drive, including the Smoky Mountains, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South’s other great cities. explore the finer things, too: botanical gardens, professional theater, Ballet Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Memphis.
Welcome to our town. Once you get settled, put on your blue suede shoes and just start walking in Memphis. Oh, and go ahead and eat that pork rib. Now that you know the real Memphis, it’ll taste even better.
Wordnut writes several 2010 Addy Award winners
Posted: March 2, 2010 Filed under: Copywriting & Creative | Tags: Addy Awards, advertising strategy, Carolina, Copywriting & Creative, FedEx, International Paper, Memphis Ad Fed 1 Comment »I am proud to have conceived and written a number of Memphis Addy Award winners this year, including winners in the following categories: full page color ad in a consumer or trade publication, color brochure/print collateral, and interactive self promotion in the public service category. The consumer ad also won Best of Show–Print! In addition I “concepted” and wrote the materials for a campaign that won numerous awards for its outstanding photography and art direction. As always I am very grateful to my clients who allow me to be a part of their successes (and earn a living in the process). Here are a few of the winners:
The ad
The brochure. Instead of the usual brochure, it is a collection of cards. The theme is “What will you build?” Each card covers something important you can build when you print on Carolina paper, such as store traffic, sales, pride, respect, profits, and so on.
The campaign for a silly contest for a paper company in which designers were asked to submit photos of themselves looking super serious.
To see the see the winning interactive entry, go here.
