0006 Weasel Words Poem by Michael Shepherd
0006 Weasel Words
It’s such fun spotting them –
this should be built into the syllabus
of every English class: to con the cons;
sharpens the mind, too –
those words that cloak deceit,
prevarication, ignorance,
evade the point of a discussion,
evade answering the vital question and questioner,
simplify the complex,
complicate the simple…
‘the real point is..’
say they, switching the agenda
to the home ground of their local thought,
‘more to the point is…’
‘more importantly…’ (that’s smart..)
said quickly (that's the trick
of weasel words - make them seem
more like an um or er or hello or throat-clear
or, just some punctuation mark) ..
and anyone who says
‘it’s absolutely clear…’
should be frogmarched off
to the Absolute, his, her, itself
to answer in person for their arrogance..
the rest of us left, of course, to guess that
if they say that… it just ain’t…
and now, there are ‘mission statements’ –
confronted with some cruel inhumanity
perpetrated on the innocent individual or group
by some institution, public, private -
a ‘spokesman’ solemnly reels off
the high ideals they stand by to deliver,
which just happen to be totally
at odds with the (often unmentioned)
suffering caused to some (better unmentioned...) human being..
pop goes a good old weasel in the football press
today: “We take this area of regulation
very seriously. When we find evidence
of breaches of rules and regulations,
we investigate thoroughly” – you bet they do;
but how about that ‘when we find’?
try ‘when we seek to find’…
I rest my case. And so would they too, if they could..
Grand, an intriguing wordplay which sums up much of what is spewed about today in a college classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed it! - T
This is excellent, Michael. I heard an interview with Australian author and speech writer, Don Watson, recently bemoaning the death of nouns and verbs in the English language today. He refered in particular to those wordy documents written in dot point form by CEOs and politicians which are full of sound and fury and signify nothing. Obfuscation at its very worst. And your weasel - well he had to come from Wind in the Willows. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Very clever. love, Allie xxxxxxxx
Shifty speakers, spouting weasel words, promising swift retribution, in my humble opinion (which is not humble at all!) and on and on - how much they sound like our local politicos! Very astute, Grandfather Wisdom, very wise!
Very interesting thoughts Michael! I once heard politicians avoid answering questions by saying, 'That is a very good question, here's another question...' Perhaps you could add that to the portfolio of weasel words? :) Peace, Aisha
Weasel words Are for the birds. (some would use a word that rhymes with curds.) But they serve very well To provide a space where thought can dwell. And if you listen carefully You'll discover the secret formulae As soon as the speaker (or writer) begins Turn them off (as thought suspends) And go on your merry way. (Cellphones are the latest prey Of those who fill space with words While having nothing to say.)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/25/2024 6:54:25 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Hello Michael, I couldn't agree more! This whole poem made me smile a lot.... Great read.... I was recommended to you by Allie - she was right, you are an interesting poet. Humber Girl: -) xxx