2016 Buzzword Salad: The Top Five Overused Buzzwords and Terms of 2016
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| Morguefile/diannehope |
1.
“Alt-right” Even
syndicated talk radio host Sean Hannity is befuddled over this term to describe
those who hold uber-arch conservative political and cultural views. The term
permeated the American lexicon during the latter stages of the United States 2016
presidential election. Okay, I always make the disclaimer that I take no
position on the issue. What I will say is that combining computer keys with
labeling certain folks in society seems to be a fresh trend, but I must confess
that it almost seems lazy. I cannot tell you why, but using computer terms is
not all that creative. Since Mr. Hannity is confused, he says that he’s using
his own term, “alt-left” to label those who are on the opposite side of the political
spectrum from the “alt-right.”
2.
“Brexit” Some
these terms have been heard well before 2016 and there’s no doubt that Brexit made
the list this year. Obviously there has been more brouhaha about the United
Kingdom leaving the European Union across the pond, but the term was mentioned
quite a bit in our culture throughout the summer and autumn – due to the
presidential election when then-candidate Donald J. Trump proudly mentioned
that his maverick campaign is similar to the Brexit vote. One of my favorite
scenes during the Brexit story was renegade businessman Nigel Farage having a
stand-off with Sir Bob Geldof on boats. The flotilla clash took place on the
Thames River. The stand-off was apparently about European Union Fishing rules.
3.
“Autopsy,” “Down-ballot”
“Regular Joes,” and “Flyover Country” I put all of these as one item because
they are inter-woven. With “autopsy,” I’m not talking about the traditional autopsy
performed by folks with Quincy, M.D. I’m talking about the “political autopsy.”
Indeed, the term has been used before, but in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S.
presidential election, pundits in across radio, newspapers and on television
have been performing analysis on the losing political party. In the case of
this year’s political race, commentators, analysts and political mavens alike
have been providing thoughts as to why the U.S. Democratic Party lost the presidential
race, down-ballot races and confidence in the general population. The overall
analysis is why the political party has not been able to connect with “Regular
Joes and Josephines” in “Flyover Country.”
4.
“Crowdfunding”
and “Crowdbirthing” Crowdfunding is hardly new. It’s the concept of a number of
folks funding a project. Crowdfunding websites were already popular before
2016, but it’s taken off this year, invading our culture. The far newer term is
Crowdbirthing or, giving birth in front of a group of close friends, relatives
and Kanye West. Okay, not sure about that last one and in Kanye’s case, who
knows if he would show up anyway (slam, hurt!). I’m not sure if I would want a
crowd of spectators while giving birth, but since I never gave birth and only
attended one, what do I know?
5.
“Pivot” and “Double
Down” I’m back to the 2016 U.S. presidential election on this item as well. Pivot
became popular during the debate portion of the contest. This is when a
candidate changes tones to appeal to a wider portion of the electorate. In my
estimation, Pivot is quite obnoxious just because it is. Double Down became “yuge”
in 2016. In the game of Blackjack, “doubles down” on a wager. It’s risky. The
Blackjack term has been used to describe that one is sticking with his or her
opinion or position on an issue no matter how right or wrong he or she is on
the issue. The U.S. political campaigns were no different with then-candidate
Donald J. Trump who “double downed” on his positions via Twitter.
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