Well, even in the WaPo article, it was always only about budget documents.
Well, even in the WaPo article, it was always only about budget documents.
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"
I don't really get the fuss over either the original WaPo article or the NR explanation. I've routinely read style guides that suggest you avoid certain words, generally because they are overused and largely devoid of meaning (or because they are freighted with meaning/consequence that you might not want to impart). For example, when submitting papers to a great number of STEM journals, they abhor the word 'novel' - it's not that they don't want to publish novel work, they just think the word is useless. Ditto with applying for grants from government agencies - there are certain words and phrases that won't get you anywhere. Right now I'm working on a massive document for the FDA that is littered with linguistic landmines.
So when I read the WaPo article, I thought it rather unlikely that some political appointee at HHS would be dim enough to try to force something like this on the staff; rather, the article itself seemed to suggest that it was a very specific type of document with a very specific type of language that was being discussed. Any reasonable reader would have come to the conclusion in the NR piece even without interviewing a bunch of people.
"When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)
Every organization has some sort of style guide. Hell, even my social media team does, even though it mainly focuses on the oxford comma, numbers, and time formats. But I'm not seeing the connection between a style guide for formatting or for useless words and a style guide thats built around the fact that the GOP is so easily triggered, there is a world of difference between the purpose and intent behind that compared the examples people keep providing.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"