I’m not gaslighting you. We’re at an inflection point of people quiet quitting irregardless if everything is amazing and moving forward.
Does that make sense? Absolutely!
Since 1976, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) has compiled an annual list of words to be banned. For years, it was described as words to be “banished from the Queen’s English for misuse, overuse and general uselessness.” The press release for 2023 is even more blunt:
…to uphold, protect, and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical—and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating.
LSSU clearly thinks words matter.
Over the decades, LSSU has banished more than 1000 words based on tens of thousands of nominations. The ten winners losers banished words for 2023 are as follows:
- GOAT (greatest of all time)
- Inflection point
- Quiet quitting
- Gaslighting
- Moving forward
- Amazing
- Does that make sense?
- Irregardless
- Absolutely
- It is what it is
Frustratingly, three of these have been banished before: absolutely (1996), it is what it is (2008), amazing (2012). Worse still, six of these aren’t actually words – there are 5 phrases and 1 acronym. That’s ironic since the point of this list is to “encourage excellence in language.”
The only logical illogical conclusion: the banished word 2023 list is the GOAT.
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