By Kevin S. Giles

Ever notice how we beat some words to death in the news? In social media? In everyday conversation?

For example, why is it important to continually state that all storm damage “looks like a bomb went off?” Or, that the aftermath looks like “a war zone?” Or why we redundantly describe every storm in winter (and sometimes in fall and spring) as “a winter storm?” What else would they be, in winter? A “summer storm” that occurred in winter would be far more newsworthy. And when did a thunderstorm become “a rain event?”

We also have “past history.” In the past? No kidding.

Beware false drama

Why do we engage in false drama, such as “a brutal murder,” heard habitually over the years? If you know of a “kind murder,” let me know. The same idea pertains to “grisly” murders and “tragic” deaths.

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And, the false drama category includes “rushed to the hospital,” one of the most overused and misleading descriptions in journalism. In these days of modern ambulances equipped with the latest medical technology, and EMTs trained in on-scene trauma care, rushing is rare. A newer false drama cliché (used everywhere all of a sudden to describe shootings) is “multiple victims,” lazy news reporting that obscures critical facts. How many people were shot? Two? Seventeen? Forty?

How about “shocked the world?” Handy for clickbait, yes, but how many people are shocked by anything anymore? And on a global scale? Nuclear war, now, that would “shock the world.”

And remember. Next time you see an email that says, “Look who died,” don’t open it. You might be shocked at the result.

Cliché landslide

I object to many cliches, yes, but I confess I might be oblivious to others. During 45 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, I witnessed cliches emerging from everywhere. (Sometimes I fell into the trap of repeating them). Most journalists try hard to beat those clichés back. Some stick like tar.

When I was a young journalist, headline writers carried on a romance with the word “Solon,” a shorthand description of a lawmaker. “Solon” fit neatly in short headlines, much easier than “Legislator,” but I doubt the word meant anything to readers. It’s questionable how many Americans grasp combustible political terms like “woke” and “weaponization,” or even care, considering that a full third of citizens can’t name the three branches of government and how they function.

Nowadays everybody “gets a boost” when earnings rise, or a compliment is paid, or someone is let off the hook.

Why our heads hurt

Many other clichés worked their way into the news columns over the decades. “Mainstream” came from the education world. “Input” came from the computer world. Human resources professionals gave us “tools in our toolbox.” Social media emphasized “silos,” and a close cousin, “echo chambers,” meaning that people listen only to opinions that match their own. The awkward “wrap my head around” phrase (picture that) persists as slang for inconclusive thinking.

In politics, we have the “powerful” Ways and Means Committee in Congress. This obligatory description has persisted for at least 50 years. Politicians these days (especially the ones in trouble) “double down,” dutifully coping with “hot-button issues” and any crisis that constitutes “a perfect storm.” How political misbehavior appears to the public now is known as “optics.” Politicians and agencies wanting to “control the message” hire “communications” professionals to bend the truth (or deny it) through methods we’ve come to know as “spin.”

Government brings us incessant references to “going forward.” Do you hear anyone admitting they’re “going backward?” The term “marathon, not a sprint,” also comes from government, as does “circle back,” cliché-speak for fixing lingering problems.

How many times will we hear that climate change is “existential?”

Dogs, ponies and clowns

Then we have “dog and pony show” and “clown car,” derisive terms to emphasize anger toward clumsy and malicious politicians. Well, we’ve all seen a few.

From real estate we have “mixed use developments.” Auto dealers try to dress up used cars as “certified pre-owned vehicles.” Police tell us about “officer-involved shootings” and “juvenile male subjects.” Have you noticed how often crimes happen in “broad daylight?” And how often police conduct “predawn raids?”

And then comes this well-worn phrase found in newspapers: “Police declined to identify the victim pending notification of relatives.” Well, maybe. Or, perhaps, the local police chief refuses to comply with laws requiring public disclosure. In that case, the rumor mill takes over.

Flyover word zones

Veterans of journalism are “grizzled” and “curmudgeons.” Everyone who isn’t rich lives in a “modest” house. Anyone associated with a cause or tragedy becomes “a poster child.” And any portion of the country unfamiliar to someone writing about it becomes a “flyover zone.” Listing a house is a “price point.”

Lawns are “manicured,” current affairs become “the new normal,” and asking a question means “reaching out.”

Social media revels in clichés.

The overused, “So true,” often appears on Facebook memes that are anything but factual. I get that some people want to affirm their political and religious beliefs by endorsing disinformation from a stranger. Wake me if someone posts, “So false.”

Then there’s “fake news,” a political accusation often directed at responsible news organizations that don’t (and won’t) bow to threats of partisan politics. Purveyors of “fake news” create it. We also have “mainstream media,” meaning nonpartisan media. Know your sources.

What’s that again?

Some of the silliest cliché-speak comes from corporate business. Here’s one: “Historically, strategies not focused on a company’s bottom line have experienced opportunity costs.”

And another. One of my news colleagues found this gem recently in a news release: “She demonstrates transformational leadership traits in managing changes and servant leadership when advocating for or developing her team.”

Which means what? This person oversees servants?

Then we have the granddaddy of all clichés, effing this and effing that. Purveyors think they’re conveying toughness, maybe? Well, something like that. Or they’re ignorant of the brilliance of the English language. Any fan of effing everything under the sun should check out “Yellowstone,” the Kevin Costner drama. The dialogue is effing way over the top.

Permit me to take a breath. Whatever happens today, we’ll have multiple victims in broad daylight. Going forward, I’ll remember that my examination of our transformational and existential language is a marathon and not a sprint. I should temper my reaching out because someone might be inclined to weaponize optics and silos. Still, I see some opportunity costs in circling back, so expect to hear from me again.

I might even effing shock the world.

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Western Montana native Kevin S. Giles wrote the popular prison nonfiction work Jerry’s Riot, the coming-of-age novel Summer of the Black Chevy, and a biography of Montana congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, One Woman Against War, which is an expanded version of his earlier work, “Flight of the Dove.” His new novel, Headline: FIRE! is the third in the Red Maguire series. Masks, Mayhem and Murder is the second. The first is “Mystery of the Purple Roses.” More information is available at https://kevinsgiles.com.