" I am currently finishing up a discussion on the term empowerment,
a term with a great deal of cultural currency (like literacy,
multicultural, and democracy), which gets used by everyone because it is a
feel-good term. In all actuallity, empowerment is tat best an idealistic
wish, at worst an empty slogan."
Thank GOD! I thought I was the only one who winced every time I
heard this. Next, can you do "about + abstraction posited as being
what's really behind the stated subject area"--you know, like
this discussion is "about" power, or the O. J. trial was "about"
racism, ad nauseam. And, speaking of racism, then you can go after the
notion that it's impossible for a member of a disenfranchised group
to be racist. (And then you can work on "disenfranchised.") And
then the fill-in-the-blank "deal with," which is virtually
always replaceable with a more specific action (unless
it's something like "I deal with my right hand when I play
poker"). And then "a function of" (misused in 99.6% of all cases).
And then--ooh, OUCH, I HATE this, don't get me started--the "in/on a
[insert adj./adv] manner/way/basis" as an adverbial
kind of construction ("in an angry manner" or "on a daily basis")
instead of saving keystrokes ("angrily" or "daily"). And then, using
"utilize" instead of "use"--WHY? HUH?!?
I gotta whole list when you get through with those, and I'll get it
to you right after I go take some more medication. I'm a half-hour
overdue.
s finley