By Bob Gaydos
He declared English the "official language" of The United States? The guy who can't finish a sentence without wandering through three wildernesses? The guy whose most ardent supporters don't know their "they'res" from their "theres"?
What does it mean? Does it mean you'll get kicked out of the country if you can't speak English? Does it mean you'll have to pass a test to prove you can speak English? Does it mean they'll start insisting that you'll actually have to be able to speak and write relatively correct English in order to graduate from high school? That would improve some of the discourse on social media.
As usual, it's kind of a broad statement from the "Covfefe" guy. Sounds important, but really just plays to the anti-immigrant tenor of the MAGA base. Still, if it makes them brush up on their pronouns and improves Americans' communications skills in general, it could be a good thing.
In fact, without meaning to, the guy has already made a significant contribution to our knowledge of our "official" language. I wrote about that in 2019, back in his first term of office. I've re-posted that column below. It still applies. His stuff always does. A couple of the names might need to be changed, but their replacements are carbon copies, so I mostly didn't bother. Read and learn. Who knows, there may be a quiz.
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Vocabulary for the Trump era
In the category of nothing is ever all good or all bad (I keep trying), have you noticed a marked improvement in your vocabulary since the man with "all the best words" moved in to the White House?
Seriously. It struck me the other day as I was reading the daily disaster report that people -- not just reporters or TV and radio commentators -- regular people were reading, hearing, using and even understanding words, many of which have never been routine in American conversation. It started with "narcissist" and "misogynist," but the vocabulary lesson has expanded exponentially (see what I mean?) since the news cycle has become all Trump all the time. I mean, "quisling," really?
I started compiling a list of words that were previously not your normal fare in your daily paper, including some words I had to look up (using Wikipedia and various legitimate online dictionaries), and decided I might as well share them. Who knows, maybe an English teacher will see it and want to help some students better understand what the grownups have done to the world. If you feel daring, test your partner. Here's my list (including examples), starting with the two aforementioned words, which are now household staples:
-- Misogynist. From Wikipedia: "Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. Misogyny manifests in numerous ways, including social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility, androcentrism, patriarchy, male privilege, belittling of women, disenfranchisement of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification." It's Trump's middle name and now the whole world is aware of what misogyny looks like in practice. That's a good thing if steps are taken to combat it, which appears to be happening (#metoo).
-- Narcissist. From Psychology Today: "The hallmarks of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are grandiosity, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration. People with this condition are frequently described as arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. They may also have grandiose fantasies and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment. These characteristics typically begin in early adulthood and must be consistently evident in multiple contexts, such as at work and in relationships. People with NPD " tend to seek excessive admiration and attention and have difficulty tolerating criticism or defeat." Mussolini comes to mind or, well, you know.
-- Quisling. Turns out we've got a bunch of them in the USA. Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssaan Quisling was a Norwegian military officer and politician who was head of the government of Norway during Nazi Germany's occupation of the country during World War II. Actually, he was a figurehead who collaborated with the Nazis in every way, including the killing of Jews and others. After the war, he was tried and convicted of murder and treason and was executed. His name became synonymous for collaborator and traitor. Until recently, there hasn't been much call for "quisling," but Trump, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, and the guy Trump wanted to run the CIA, among others, have given new life to it. I could have lived my life without wanting to get the history of this word. ( OK, I lied. Add J.D.Vance.)
-- Sycophant. While we have Lindsay Graham available as a perfect example, why not give a dictionary description of a sycophant: "A person who acts obsequiously (I'll get to that) toward someone important in order to gain advantage. Synonyms: toady, creep, crawler, fawner, flatterer, flunkey, truckler, groveller, doormat, lickspittle, kowtower, obsequious person, minion, hanger-on, leech, puppet, spaniel -- Add the entire Trump cabinet and staff and most Republicans in Congress.
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