I’m a curmudgeon. I refuse to adapt to the language of the day. I almost always refer to “Hyatt top tier elite status” and refuse to type the words “World of Hyatt Globalist status.” Because that’s just dumb.
I hate losing the second ‘H’ in HHonors though I suppose Hilton gets to say what the name of their program is. That’s not as bad as the name American gave to their 75,000 mile elite tier, “Platinum Pro” (50,000 miles is Platinum, if they wanted to be unoriginal why not just call it Platinum 75k?) Goodness knows I hope American AAdvantage doesn’t drop the second A ‘because China is an important market and they don’t know how to pronounce the second A’ or some other consultant-driven justification.
It took me a long time before referring to the dining for miles people as ‘Rewards Network’ rather than iDine, but that’s probably because I had only just gotten used to iDine instead of calling them ‘Transmedia’.
So I was watching a recent hour-long YouTube interview with billionaire investor Cliff Asness. Always watch and listen to very smart people in fields other than your own ideally people who share a common language (in this case economics, he was a PhD student of Eugene Fama).
And he parenthetically remarks,
You can’t fight language by the way. Language is democratic. If you continue to fight language for a very long period eventually you’re just a bitter old man that no one understands. You just have to say “I lost” and kind of move on.
In other words being this guy is just dumb.
And I need to learn that.
There is nothing democratic in letting others dictate how you talk and think. The essence of a democracy is freedom. If you change your opinion, fine; then change your language. But don’t let an “expert” tell you that you must think like anyone or everyone else.
But if you change your language to appease those who seek to control you, then you make democracy just a little less robust.
I still refuse to call a small coffee a “tall”.
He’s wrong about language! Just because the guy’s got money don’t make him right all the time. We know one prominent billionaire who is wrong about man things. But Asness is entitled to his opinion just as you are entitled to your language regardless of pressure to conform. However doing anything purely for the sake of being obstinate is unwise.
Oops, many things not man things above.
I’m like this about “reaching out” what’s wrong with the contacting?
So I can’t refer to “The Facebook” anymore?
So democracy, in and of itself, is paradoxical?
Generation gap, yes, you can’t fight new slang. Corporate Misspeak and lies, no, it’s our duty to call it out everywhere it appears – eg Ride “sharing”? Garbage, it’s a taxi service. Home “share”? Garbage, it’s a hotel business. “Enhancement”, “due to customer feedback” it’s our duty to laugh long and loud ha ha ha ha
Gary, what else do you want to complain about? Let me guess, you are an entitled Elitist in everything right. I work in the industry, and I tell you what, nothing worse that “that guy” when he opens his mouth. You are not entitled to anything, enjoy the benefits, don’t be a dick. I wish all these programs would just go away actually, people suck because of them and stories like this don’t help.
Big Ten figured it out and renamed their divisions..
@Bob Smith – ‘these programs’ are the largest driver of profits to ‘the industry’ currently, do you really wish your company’s profits would go away? #brilliantidea
Gary–you’re right. Globalist isn’t a word and I refuse to use it….and it seems Hyatt employees agree as they all hate using “Globalist” too….we both have a laugh and say “Diamond”…..happens every time I check in—every time.