Chihuly sculpture – William J. Clinton Presidential Center.
Little Rock, Arkansas, May 12, 2007

1000 words #15

I was trying to think of description to describe something that had been a bit of an irritation and came across the phrase “weasel words” in a post on a blog, Shades of Crimson, by Davina Haisell.  The phrase sort of fits what I was looking for.  Wikipedia describes weasel words as “equivocating words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said.”

It’s probably just a cliché, though, “an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, or effect, and even, to the point of being trite or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel” (Wikipedia).

Every time there is a tragedy somewhere, the media overuses phrases to the point that they’ve become trite and meaningless — to us, anyhow.  One phrase in particular stands out.

We were watching a story on the evening news on Tuesday about the impact the loss of 19 firefighters was having on Prescott, Arizona.  It’s a terrible tragedy, for sure, but my point is about the reporting.  Before the anchor and field reporter got very far into it, I snidely commented, “Close-knit community.”  Sure enough, near the end of the news piece, the reporter made some comment that included “close-knit community.” The phrase seems  to be included in the reporting nearly every time something bad happens to U.S. communities.

The phrase may not be weasel words, but it’s trite, meaningless, and, at least this time, predictable.

Meaningless?  Well, Prescott, Arizona has a population of nearly 40,000 and covers an area of 41.51 sq mi (107.52 km²).  A person could go for days on end there without running into many people he knows.

In a 2009 BBC discussion on News clichés, a commenter said it well: “Whenever there’s a live report from a small town or village where there’s been an incident, the cliche that’s invariably trotted out is ‘tonight this close knit community is in shock’. Where is this mythical close-knit community? Every person is in shock? That would look mighty weird. News reporting is becoming so lazy.”

Merriam Webster defines close-knit as “bound together by intimate social or cultural ties or by close economic or political tie.”

Few towns or cities would meet this definition in the modern USA of automobiles, television, internet and smart phones.

Close-knit in these stories is an empty phrase, a cliché — just a couple of weasel words.

A bridge we crossed numerous times on a 2009 camping trip to Door County, Wisconsin was involved in an accident that badly damaged the front of a Class A motorhome.

Three views from surveillance cameras show that the driver
of an RV is not at fault in encounter with bridge. 

On June 23, the front of a large motor home was crushed by the counterweight of the Michigan Street Bridge in Sturgeon Bay.  An article on the  Green Bay Press-Gazette website says the a completed investigation and video released by the police department shows that the driver of a 42 foot RV was not at fault.

Caught in heavy traffic, the recreational vehicle had not made it across the bridge when it began to lift.  The driver was  following a detour route bypassing the Bayview Bridge which was closed for repairs.  The bridge tender, as a result of the detour, was dealing with heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The report says the driver, familiar with the operation of drawbridges in Florida, “stayed where he was at and thought that if he was in a bad spot, the bridge tender would have him move. The video from the bridge supports this statement and for this reason, no citations will be issued to the driver of this motor home.”

The accident occurred next to the bridge tender’s office on the bridge.

Unfortunately, the office was closed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 2008, with the Michigan Street Bridge being remotely operated from the Bayview Bridge tender office.

A DOT spokesman says that all three Sturgeon Bay bridges will eventually  be remotely controlled by a one operator on the Maple-Oregon Bridge.

Read more in the article on the  Green Bay Press-Gazette website.

Sturgeon Bay Links.
City of Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center
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USS Razorback, SS 394, North Little Rock, Arkansas
May 12, 2007

1000 words #14

Territorial Fair at the Historic Arkansas Museum, May 12, 2007
Little Rock, Arkansas

1000 words #13

Arkansas River, below Dardanelle Lock & Dam,
May 10, 2007

1000 words #12

Blogger Bob McCarthy writes about a magician who has been told that he he has to have a written disaster plan for the rabbit that he uses in his performances.  By July 29th, the magician, Marty Hahne, has to have a written disaster plan in place “detailing all the steps I would take to help get my rabbit through a disaster, such as a tornado, fire, flood, etc. They not only want to know how I will protect my rabbit during a disaster, but also what I will do after the disaster, to make sure my rabbit gets cared for properly.”

I started to write something starting with the overused, “It never fails to amaze me….”  However, unfortunately, when I stop and think about it, this doesn’t really surprise me at all.

That’s what is sad.

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Stupid Regulations #1

Bear Tooth Highway, just east of junction with Chief Joseph Highway, Wyoming , August 30, 2007

The photo was used in the following video.  (It can also be viewed on YouTube.)