It is what it is.

But is it, really?

Euphemism is a concept any mass communication scholar learns about early on their career. It is, after all, one of the main devices used by persuasive communication. A euphemism can be defined as a word that is used to make an unpleasant reality seem more acceptable. The perfect example is describing civilian deaths as “collateral damage” or to speak of “friendly fire” when a soldier gets shot by his own troops.

In my class on persuasive communication, I teach my students that euphemisms aren’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, we all say someone “passed away” instead of the more blunt “they died”. In daily conversation it’s a social custom that softens up the sometimes harsh reality. And that’s great. Although I value honesty as much as the next person, I also firmly believe there’s no need to be blunt about it. However, propagandists and other persuaders often use these word tricks to deceive or mislead people. Euphemisms will leave people with a positive feeling - doesn’t collateral damage sound like an unavoidable necessity to you too? - while the reality of the situation is far less positive. And that is a problem. No one wants to be deceived, but it’s hard to detect deception when it’s cloaked in such commonly used terms as casualties (deaths?), pre-emptive strikes (attacks?), and spin control (manipulating the news).

As I was discussing euphemisms with my students last week, we discovered another interesting feat: the American discourse is full of them. People, and especially southerners, use these sugarcoating terms so often, they have a hard time a) recognizing them, and b) understanding what’s wrong with them.

When Janet Jackson’s breast was exposed, did we call it that? No, it was best known as a “wardrobe malfunction”. Now call me silly, but when someone rips off a piece of your clothing, does that qualify as a “malfunction”? It’s not like your clothes broke down. And what about this incredible fear of being against anything? No one is anti-abortion or against the belief in global warming, no, people are pro-life, and believe in global climate change. It means the same thing, but sounds a lot nicer. People here don’t buy used cars either, like I used to when I was a poor student. My students all have “pre-owned vehicles”. And instead of being given practical advice about "relations" as it's called down here, students in schools are told to "take precaution". Using the c-o-n-d-o-m word alone is enough to send my adult, and usually mature, students into a five-minute tizz. And then when someone is pregnant, and especially when they’re a little younger than one might like, they’re “expecting”, or “in the family way”. And should you, like me, be inconsiderate and use the “p-word”, people will do that funny southern thing: they will flap their hands in front of their face and breathe “oh my”.

My students tried to convince me that using all these words simply meant you were being polite or politically correct. And having been at the short end of that stick for years, they really appreciate people being sensitive about cultural and racial issues. Of course, sensitivity is key. I don’t want people calling me cracker or honkey either. Just like there is no need to be rude. But that is still not the same as simply not facing the truth because it’s too painful. Aren’t people who are “pro-choice” (a euphemism for thinking abortion should be legal) also as much in favor of life as those people who call themselves “pro-life” (but think abortion should be illegal). Isn’t a 15-year old “with child” just as pregnant as a 30-year old? And let’s just be honest and say it: Justin Timberlake wanted the world to see Janet’s boob. There.

Here in the south, we have become experts at avoiding the truth. We don’t talk about important aspects such as life, death, and pro-creation. In fact, we are so afraid of them that we have created an entire discourse of euphemisms surrounding these issues. And honestly, because we don’t address things for what they really are, we have spun this web of “as long as you don’t talk about, I don’t care what you do”. We have created our very own culture of propaganda; intricate, devious, but wonderfully inept, besides the hand-flapping, at handling the situation when these real issues do pop up in real life.

So is it what it is? Well, sort of.