closure

closure – n - The act of closing; the state of being closed; a bringing to an end; conclusion.

Much modern commentary is just so much white noise. The use and misuse of words like today's is a prime attribute of this meaningless chatter. For example, Harper Collins recently fired Judith Regan. The reason given was that she had made anti-Semitic remarks; the real reason was that she had brokered a deal for O. J. Simpson's speculative memoir If I Did It (cute title). They were all set to publish the book until public outrage changed their corporate minds. Clearly, someone's head had to roll, and Judith drew the short straw. She claimed that she had only been trying to bring about closure! Hauling in big bucks had been the furthest thing from her mind.

When I lived in Colorado Springs, a hiker was lost in the mountains. After a long search his body was found, prompting some Journalism major to state that closure had been reached and the family could now begin the mourning process. The mourning process! Words fail me.

Maybe we could market a more general version of Dilbert's Buzzword Bingo. I'll get it started: caring, compassionate, tolerant, diversity, misspoke (meaning I accidentally said what I was really thinking or I inadvertantly told the truth), and celebrate (applied to anything but Christmas or birthdays).

(Speaking of anti-Semitism[TM], Joseph Sobran wittily and correctly pointed out that an anti-semite used to be someone who didn't like Jews, but now it's someone Jews don't like.)