CNN's John King apologizes to viewers because a guest used the word "crosshairs" in a discussion about the Chicago mayoral race.
Whatever the merits of the argument that scrupulous avoidance of violent metaphors will make us safer (extremely dubious in my view), I think it's beyond question that it has already made us dumber.
Posted by Dr. Frank at January 19, 2011 05:23 PM | TrackBackFrank,
I've just received notice from my editor that we are no longer allowed to use any form of the words 'argument' and 'violent' in the publication where I work. A government study--conducted this morning--has discovered that these words not only lead to a 4% increase in semi-violent activity amongst tri-lingual polygamists over age 77, they also have caused the recent instances of mass bird deaths in the United States.
Your cooperation in refraining from the use of such malignant terms is advised.