12 Words and Phrases to Phase Out in 2024
It’s not that these words don’t have their place in certain historical or contemporary contexts. It’s that they have been used ad nauseam recently, so much so that their true meanings have been lost. If we’re going to get to a higher level of critical reading and thinking in 2024, we need to put a pause on some of these words - or at least use them sparingly and in the appropriate situations.
Unprecedented.
So many things are described as being unprecedented: storms, temperatures, political actions, and so on. Since the word means “never before known or experienced,” there’s a good chance that a lot of activities labeled as unprecedented have occurred at least one other time in history. Let’s save this one for the really unusual circumstances.
Woke
Journalist Michael Shellenberger is calling for an era of “counter-wokeism” founded on veritas, or “truth.” (Shellenberger’s “Public” is a great Substack newsletter to skim and consider subscribing to.) Wouldn’t that be something, if we strove to find the best possible truth in everything? Then we could simply call ourselves knowledgeable, critical thinkers.
Anything ending in “phobia.”
Here is how Johns Hopkins defines “phobia”:
An uncontrollable, irrational, and lasting fear of a certain object, situation, or activity. This fear can be so overwhelming that a person may go to great lengths to avoid the source of this fear. One response can be a panic attack. This is a sudden, intense fear that lasts for several minutes. It happens when there is no real danger.
Hundreds of strange and inexplicable phobias exist, from a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth (arachibutyrophobia) to a fear of belly buttons (omphalophobia). And, yes, homophobic, transphobic and islamophobic people are out there. But the terms are often incorrectly and unfairly used to describe someone who disagrees with or so much as questions things related to these groups.
On the other hand, we might use “phobia” when we really mean an intense hatred for people. That is something far worse. We should choose our words intentionally so they have the proper effect.
Nazi/Communist.
Enough already.
MAGA.
It’s bad enough that some people pronounce it with a short “a” while others use the schwa sound. “Tomayto, tomahto,” you say. Either way, this abbreviation for “Make America Great Again” conjures up a host of often heated emotions that keeps us from being united.
“Are you MAGA? No, I’m American.” Let’s move on.
Spike/Surge.
Global temperatures spiked in June. Covid cases spiked in New York in August. Nikki Haley surged in the polls in November and December. Depending on the circumstances, these words deliver immediate feelings of concern, dread or elation. Often, the surge or spike is short-lived or insignificant.
According to the AP, June 2023 temperatures around the world “briefly” went above a “key warming threshold.” They then returned to normal seasonal temperatures.
Although the New York Post and other news sources sounded the alarm about a potentially dangerous COVID outbreak in New York state late last summer, current statistics show that cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID are about the lowest they’ve been since 2020. (Although, there’s another variant about to rear its ugly head, according to the CDC.)
And while Nikki Haley supporters have cheered her improving poll numbers, which show that she has closed the once “yuge” gap between other candidates and Donald Trump, for now she remains at most a second-place contender.
When words like spike and surge are too readily used, it’s harder to get people to look at the bigger picture. Instead, they may focus on the negatives, which leads to unnecessary stress.
Climate Anxiety.
Here’s a great example of what can happen when reactionary words are used too often. Worried about surging temperatures and spiking levels of dangerous gasses in the atmosphere? You have climate anxiety. And according to some sources, that’s completely acceptable.
“Your Crushing Anxiety About the Climate Is Normal,” The Smithsonian reassured readers. No, it isn’t. You can be concerned about the planet, but you should not become paralyzed by fear that the world will soon boil into nonexistence.
If you are overcome with worry, you cannot form logical solutions. You might instead hyperventilate about your impending doom or do something drastic and goofy, like gluing your hand to the street.
How to eliminate climate anxiety? First, stay away from inflammatory articles. Next, do something. Plant a tree. Practice recycling. Install solar panels on your roof. Encourage others to take action. But don’t inflict panic upon yourself and others simply because an article tells you it’s “normal.”
“According to polls…”
In 2016, polls suggested that Hillary Clinton would become President of the United States with relative ease. We all know how that turned out. Current polls for the 2024 Republican nomination show Donald Trump far ahead of his closest opponents, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. Who knows if those are accurate?
Polls are an interesting way to gauge public opinion, but perhaps we should keep in mind the dictionary definition of a poll: “a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis.” In other words, don’t assume poll results are the final answer.
A clump of cells.
The Sprout pregnancy app tracks fetal development in 3D. At five weeks, the fetus is the size of an orange seed, but within that tiny creature, a developing heart can already be detected. Other major organs such as the liver and kidneys are also developing.
Yes, it is a group of cells, but it’s not a tangled mass of misfit cells. These cells have a purpose. And the purpose doesn’t just matter when someone has a planned pregnancy. No matter one’s take on abortion, perhaps we can at least agree that referring to a fetus as a “clump of cells” is insulting to the parents who are joyfully tracking their unborn child’s progress.
Victim/Oppressor.
Yet another way we have managed to divide humanity. Lose the labels and cut the guilt trips.
Record-breaking.
See “Unprecedented” above.
Swatting.
Remember the innocent prank calls from your youth? “Is your refrigerator running? You’d better catch it!” Stupid but harmless. Today’s prank calls are far more sinister.
“Swatting” involves calling emergency authorities with a false claim so that they are sent to an unsuspecting person’s home. Most recently, Maine’s secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, was a victim of swatting after her home address was posted online. Her family was not home at the time. Bellows has received criticism (and in some cases, praise) for removing Donald Trump’s name from the presidential ballot in Maine.
Swatting is stupid and dangerous. It takes away resources from true emergencies, and it puts victims at risk. The less we talk about it, hopefully the less it will happen.
Bonus Track: Worst Headline of 2023:
“Two Years Ago, an Abortion Ban Made Them Teen Parents” (Washington Post)
Someone needs a refresher on the birds and the bees.
Other suggestions:
"gaslighting"
" privileged"
AMEN!!