Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Stupidification Of America

It continues, even when people try to push back. Case in point: ABC's Christiane Amanpour casually and correctly used “perspicacious” on TV, a word more people have read than heard. Someone at ABC came to the same conclusion, and either the segment was pre-recorded or they were quick off the blocks, for a nifty little definition block popped up to enlighten wondering viewers -- and prompted online snark warning her to "avoid such fancy language" lest viewers mistake her program "for a Rosetta Stone class teaching the English language."

Yeah. 'Cos if the proles had more than an 800-word vocabulary, who knows what they might get up to?

Sheesh.

8 comments:

Wayne Conrad said...

I know I'm not aiding my defense by asking this, but: what's wrong with "astute?"

Turk Turon said...

It was prerecorded.

My favorite was when she referred to the late Clarence Clemmons as "the noted sax-AH-fun-ist for the E-Street Band."

Today she said "mee-grain".

I watch the show every week.

Roberta X said...

Um, "mee-grain" is the BBC-English pronunciation. She's on here own with the sax, I think.

I was thinkin' you tried never to miss it. Gotta be better than the pap on NBC/CBS in the same time slot.

Anonymous said...

"acuity of vision or thought" immediately lept to mind. Am I right? What do I win? I gotta go look it up now an d see if I'm close.

Anonymous said...

Me again. Leaped? Leapt? Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Me again.

I looked it up in Merriam-Webster:

"of acute mental vision or discernment"

Close enough for guvamint work. Where do I collect my prize? Jeez, it's a sunday evening; I have no life.

Kevin said...

I snarked about it a little myself. It's just another illustration of the dumbing-down of America. Remember, journalists are supposed to write for an audience with an eighth-grade education.

Dr. Feelgood said...

Then again, there's the counter-example of media outlets projecting their own stupidity on consumers. In an article on the upcoming presidential caucus, my local fishwrap quotes Sen. Grassley referring to "Obama and Carter." The editor parenthetically inserted (Jimmy). Is there another of whom I'm unaware?

Also, he should have used brackets.