by Mandrake » Sep 2nd, '12, 13:50
Well, if we’re going down that track then here’s my four penn’orth!
The fast food joints, who insist they are actually fast service restaurants, have successfully mangled the language for years! Firstly, they aren’t restaurants, they’re are quick food service outlets on a very limited range of options, all based on grilling or frying meat of one kind or another with ‘sides’ of varying interest. There’s an insistence of referring to a burger as a ‘sandwich’ which it isn’t. McDonalds, Burger King and KFC all fall into this category. I guess Subway are an exception in some ways.
Petrol stations and high street stores all seem to offer ‘meal deals’ which includes a prepacked sandwich – two slices of bread, some spread and varying fillings – plus a packet of crisps/potato chips and a soft drink. That ain’t a meal, it’s a snack.
Transport and haulage firms have long since gone and morphed into ‘Logistics’ companies – what the heck is a logistic? Some assure us that they are delivering solutions- stuff that, if I use their services I want them to deliver my goods! I once asked a logistics rep what it actually meant and he admitted it was just a buzzword and meant diddly squat within the industry!
Banks, insurance companies and other financial outfits all tell us that they have a great range of ‘products’. To me, a product needs to have a physical presence with a shape, size and weight so an insurance policy isn’t a product. If someone can show me how to hold a mortgage or an ISA in my hand I’ll change my opinion.
Bottom line, all these examples are hype and ego boosting misdirections designed to make the activities sound far more important and vital than they actually are. If those firms need to enhance their activities like that then I view them all with a very jaundiced eye indeed! I much prefer to call a spade a spade, or even a bloody shovel, rather than a manually operated excavation device.
OK rant over, normal service has now been resumed....