Jargon

I am moderately repulsed by jargon. It creeps in everywhere, kind of like mold or mildew, and spoils a perfectly good... well, anything. From the slimy world of business speak, which has produced gems like "synergy optimization" and "dynamic engagement solutions," to that of academia, which prompted me to write a whole essay about my distaste for the word "hegemony," jargon just grosses me out.

Of course we need specialized vocabulary to describe certain things, but the way these words, many of which are just total fabrications, get tossed around, without consideration for what they actually mean (or don't mean), drives me crazy.

It's true that I may be known as someone who tends to trail off mid-sentence as I think about what word I should use to express my next thought or even as someone who prefers not to talk at all unless I absolutely have to, but I'd much rather be the quiet person than the one spewing nonsense into the already heavily polluted atmosphere.

So there (end of rant.)

Flag Day

It never occurred to me that one's Flag Day celebration need not be limited to exalting the American flag. Technically, yes, this is what Woodrow Wilson had in mind when he proclaimed June 14th Flag Day in 1916, but in our anything-goes modern world, why not take liberties with the holiday? Isn't that what America is all about anyway?

In D.C. apparently, Flag Day brings together people who have tattoos of the district's flag. They hold a rally for Congressional representation and generally revel in their tattooed-ness. I heartily support this.

Meanwhile, you can buy almost anything emblazoned with the Chicago flag, even skateboards and high tops. I'm also partial to the California state flag, which ranks up there with those of Texas and Maryland as most recognizable state flags. (The grizzly makes California's by far the most ferocious flag though.)

So don't just let your freak flag fly. Prance around in ritualistic adoration today. If Wilson really wanted us to focus on one specific flag, he should have said so!