# How laughable words and phrases become mainstream. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168 "2018-02-20T04:04:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/1 "2018-02-20T04:04:18Z")
Some time back, I don’t recall exactly when, some government bureaucracy released a report about the occurrence of “very low food security” in the USA. The report was widely publicized and mocked because of the absurdity of the phrase. The English language has plenty of words to describe the condition of lacking adequate food: hunger, starvation, famine, etc… In contrast to those clear and straightforward words, “very low food security” is a pointlessly long, bureaucratic phrasing that seems designed to obfuscate and sound too boring to be worth reading about. Yet, here we are a few years later and the phrase “low food security” now seems the standard way of talking about hunger. Just [search on Google](https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=rpeLWvfvNZCxggfarZbwCg&q=%22very+low+food+security%22&oq=%22very+low+food+security%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l2j0i22i30k1l3.3490.7617.0.7893.25.24.0.0.0.0.239.3062.0j20j1.21.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..4.21.3059.0..46j35i39k1j0i46k1j0i131k1j0i20i264k1j0i67k1.0.4qRgBIXphko) and you get a stream of government websites, think tanks, and academic articles that use exactly that phrase without any apparent awareness of how silly it sounds. What was formerly ridiculous is now the standard phrasing. Or take another currently relevant example: “wardrobe malfunction”. When this was first used to describe Janet Jackson’s accident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, everyone agreed that it was an idiotic choice of words. Now it’s normal and people use it without any irony. There’s even a [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardrobe_malfunction) on the topic: “A wardrobe malfunction is accidental exposure of a person’s intimate parts due to a temporary failure of clothing to do its job.” It seems that once a particular phrase begins circulating widely, people get used to it, and their brains just don’t hold on the fact that it’s a preposterous euphemism. Hear it enough times and it’s normal. Which raises the question, which idiotic phrases of today will be standard in everyone’s speech ten years from now? [“Alternative facts”](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/22/how-kellyanne-conway-ushered-in-the-era-of-alternative-facts/)? [“Re-accommodate the customer”](https://www.boston.com/news/business/2017/04/11/read-united-ceos-3-statements-on-passenger-dragged-off-flight)? [“Your truth”](https://www.mediaite.com/online/oprahs-crucial-error-speaking-your-truth-isnt-a-powerful-tool-its-a-poison/)? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/2 "2018-02-20T04:14:51Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Some time back, I don’t recall exactly when, some government bureaucracy released a report about the occurrence of “very low food security” in the USA. The report was widely publicized and mocked because of the absurdity of the phrase. The English language has plenty of words to describe the condition of lacking adequate food: hunger, starvation, famine, etc… In contrast to those clear and straightforward words, “very low food security” is a pointlessly long, bureaucratic phrasing that seems designed to obfuscate and sound too boring to be worth reading about. This is just plain ignorant. “Low food security” is not the same as hunger, starvation, or famine. It means that you have a diet lacking in variety, quality, or desirability. It does not mean that you have reduced food intake or are hungry. It just means you only have access to crap food. The term was created to cover a status that was not in fact covered by any of the words you list. You could argue that “crap diet” might be more succinct, but not that the concept is covered by existing words. > [@](#): > > Or take another currently relevant example: “wardrobe malfunction”. When this was first used to describe Janet Jackson’s accident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, everyone agreed that it was an idiotic choice of words. Now it’s normal and people use it without any irony. I doubt very much that many people use it without intending it to be a humorous circumlocution. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/3 "2018-02-20T04:33:40Z")
Pro-life is pretty stupid if you stop to think about it. It sets up a falsehood that those against us are anti-life. Not true at all. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/4 "2018-02-20T05:17:45Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Some time back, I don’t recall exactly when, some government bureaucracy released a report about the occurrence of “very low food security” in the USA. Tommy Thompson, former WI governor and Secretary of HHS used the term in 2004 or so, implying that our food supplies were open to terrorist attack. At the time, he was mostly ridiculed for pointing out a weakness that apparently the terrorists had overlooked. It was not directed at poor nutritional value of foodstuffs. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/5 "2018-02-20T05:26:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This is just plain ignorant. “Low food security” is not the same as hunger, starvation, or famine. It means that you have a diet lacking in variety, quality, or desirability. It does not mean that you have reduced food intake or are hungry. It just means you only have access to crap food. The term was created to cover a status that was not in fact covered by any of the words you list. I thought that “low food security” referred to something else – people whose supply of food was insecure. They have barely enough food in the house to last the week, and if Friday’s paycheck is short, they won’t have enough to restock the cupboards. People who are one check away from going hungry. Nothing said about the quality of their food, just insecurity over the quantity. (Possibly our very different understanding of this common term reinforces the OP’s argument – that it is a vague, unclear choice of words.) ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/6 "2018-02-20T06:02:29Z")
“Everyone agreed” that “wardrobe malfunction” was an “idiotic choice of words”? I didn’t. I thought it was very amusing and very descriptive. You can safely lose that “everyone.” ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/7 "2018-02-20T06:13:45Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Pro-life is pretty stupid if you stop to think about it. It sets up a falsehood that those against us are anti-life. Not true at all. In that case, I guess you’re just opposed to any sort of life that causes the least bit of inconvenience for somebody else. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/8 "2018-02-20T06:51:44Z")
“Politically Correct” was originally a disparaging term aimed at a trend of hypersensitivity in the media and other places; now it’s become the default state of being. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/9 "2018-02-20T08:24:14Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Or take another currently relevant example: “wardrobe malfunction”. When this was first used to describe Janet Jackson’s accident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, everyone agreed that it was an idiotic choice of words. Now it’s normal and people use it without any irony. There’s even a [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardrobe_malfunction) on the topic: “A wardrobe malfunction is accidental exposure of a person’s intimate parts due to a temporary failure of clothing to do its job.” Seems a perfectly reasonable and polite euphemism to me - in a recent discussion with my family about whether it was good, bad, funny or tragic that people go shopping in their pyjamas, I found the phrase “I don’t see the harm as long as there’s no wardrobe malfunction” to be more suitable to the family dinner table, IMO, than “It’s OK as long as his dick isn’t hanging out” - as well as being a more conveniently generic catch-all term. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/10 "2018-02-20T08:29:51Z")
I mean, euphemisms are practically the thing that separates us from beasts. “Please excuse me - I need to go to the bathroom” - why? Are you taking a bath? No, you’re going to expel a massive stinky turd; but nobody needs that level of detail or precision. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/11 "2018-02-20T14:55:37Z")
You mean like when the Air Force decided “fail-safe” systems for nuclear weapons carried the wrong connotation, so they changed the term to “positive control”? [Link to book excerpt](https://thebulletin.org/accidents-will-happen-excerpt-command-and-control) I guess I’d call that a marketing decision or sorts. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/12 "2018-02-20T16:49:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > “Politically Correct” was originally a disparaging term aimed at a trend of hypersensitivity in the media and other places; now it’s become the default state of being. “Political correctness” originally referred to the practice of criminalizing speech outside desired norms in the old Communist dictatorships. People picked the term up as a backlash to describe efforts to make language and politics more inclusive to various groups. It seems to me that, a lot of times, things that are deemed politically correct are just polite. But I agree… when a phrase becomes misleading or ambiguous, that’s when problems arise… as in the discussion of ‘food insecurity’. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/13 "2018-02-20T22:09:17Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I thought that “low food security” referred to something else – people whose supply of food was insecure. They have barely enough food in the house to last the week, and if Friday’s paycheck is short, they won’t have enough to restock the cupboards. People who are one check away from going hungry. Nothing said about the quality of their food, just insecurity over the quantity. Per the [US Department of Agriculture:](https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx) > [@](#): > > USDA’s labels describe ranges of food security > > Food Security > High food security (old label=Food security): no reported indications of food-access problems or limitations. > > Marginal food security (old label=Food security): one or two reported indications—typically of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. Little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake. > > Food Insecurity > Low food security (old label=Food insecurity without hunger): reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake. > > Very low food security (old label=Food insecurity with hunger): Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. So it can include both quantity and quality. However, the concept is not covered by “hunger, famine, and starvation.” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/14 "2018-02-21T17:26:33Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Pro-life is pretty stupid if you stop to think about it. It sets up a falsehood that those against us are anti-life. Not true at all. Not only that, but you may notice that many “pro-life” people are really only “pro-fetus”. Once you’re actually born, they pretty much don’t give a rats ass about you. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/15 "2018-02-21T17:54:03Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Pro-life is pretty stupid if you stop to think about it. It sets up a falsehood that those against us are anti-life. Not true at all. That’s exactly what it was designed to do. I’d say it’s more obnoxious and dishonest than stupid. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/16 "2018-02-21T17:55:42Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This is just plain ignorant. “Low food security” is not the same as hunger, starvation, or famine. It means that you have a diet lacking in variety, quality, or desirability. It does not mean that you have reduced food intake or are hungry. It just means you only have access to crap food. The term was created to cover a status that was not in fact covered by any of the words you list. Yes, and to be specific, _low food security_ is just a modification of the term _food security_, which is used to identify certain _ **economic and social conditions** _ in population studies. What else are you going to say, in lieu of food security? _Adequate food_? _Enough food_? _Not being hungry_? None of those are any more “clear and straight forward” than _food security_, which conveys more than the momentary condition of an individual not being hungry. The fact is that different contexts for the use of language call upon different terms, though they may may appear from a simplistic point of view to refer to the same thing. I don’t think this particular term is a good example of a “laughable” phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/17 "2018-02-21T21:24:24Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Not only that, but you may notice that many “pro-life” people are really only “pro-fetus”. Once you’re actually born, they pretty much don’t give a rats ass about you. They’re not even that since they want to shut down planned parenthood which is often the only source of prenatal care for very poor women. And then some of them want to go further and prosecute women who have miscarriages. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/18 "2018-02-22T14:37:06Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Pro-life is pretty stupid if you stop to think about it. It sets up a falsehood that those against us are anti-life. Not true at all. > [@Flyer](#): > > In that case, I guess you’re just opposed to any sort of life that causes the least bit of inconvenience for somebody else. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Not only that, but you may notice that many “pro-life” people are really only “pro-fetus”. Once you’re actually born, they pretty much don’t give a rats ass about you. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > That’s exactly what it was designed to do. I’d say it’s more obnoxious and dishonest than stupid. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > They’re not even that since they want to shut down planned parenthood which is often the only source of prenatal care for very poor women. And then some of them want to go further and prosecute women who have miscarriages. AND they refer to the pro-choice movement as “pro-abortion.” Nobody is “pro-abortion.” Some of us are pro-legal abortion. And having an unwanted person use your body without your permission is hardly a “minor inconvenience.” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/19 "2018-02-22T16:01:13Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > “Politically Correct” was originally a disparaging term aimed at a trend of hypersensitivity in the media and other places; now it’s become the default state of being. Note that it refers to the “wrong” language as perceived by the Left. The Right also has it’s own Thought Police but doesn’t use that term on themselves. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168/20 "2018-02-22T19:30:40Z")
Dude, I’m not sure that’s the preferred nomenclature. Off topic, but I recall hearing various words & phrases for the first time on TV or movies, thinking they were completely outrageous, and now they’re accepted as normal speech. In “Kramer Vs. Kramer” Dustin Hoffman called his misbehaving young son “a little shit.” I recall the phrase, “chill out” being used on prime time TV & it sounded ridiculous. “Cool Beans” “Tubular” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-laughable-words-and-phrases-become-mainstream/809168.md?page=2)