[etni] fwd: A Rose by any other name?

From: judyastary@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: A Rose by any other name?

Thank you to Batya for regailing us with yet another figment of British political correctness (which should be renamed "follitical hogwash"!). How right Shakespeare was when he wrote that inimical line ("A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."). Not sufficient to be backward (dare I say "retarded") in coming forward with differently abled and then to a special needs case, instead of plain old "failed" they have now instituted "deferred success". "Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?" sang Prof. Higgins in My Fair Lady.
Why, indeed, one may well ask. Grammatical correctness went out of the window years ago, now our cherished vocabulary is being flushed down the proverbial drain. Oh, "down the drain, you say?' much too negative! Why not "flushed away (a very positive nice-sounding preposition) in the insinkerator"? We don't want to offend our waste-product disposal system, now do we!
Cynicism apart, I am reminded of a story I once heard from a fellow student from a certain Asian country at my university. After completing one's degree in the UK (years ago, when first degrees meant something and were hard to come by!) it
used to be customary to add the letters B.A. after one's name, especially when applying for a job etc. Apparently in this particular country many students would complete three years of a first degree course in whatever subject but, few of them managed to make it through the final examinations. In order that the time and money of three years study should not be entirely wasted ('nother negative word, we definitely need to replace. Any suggestions?), they would write the letters BA after their name, followed by the word (failed)! Imagine how much better they would have had it today! We could add it like a "cum Laude
or First Class Hons - B.A. (Deferred Success)!
Soon, most people won't remember the meaning of "deferred" anyway!
JA 

Judith Astary

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