"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.
" (From Romeo and Juliet) So far as a rose is concerned, I agree with this sentiment; a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.
However, when a name happens to be a misnomer, it results in misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
Many of the imbalances in our personal lives as well as in society may be attributed to wrong nomenclature.
To paraphrase an old saying-it is important to call a spade a spade, (although when an infant calls a spade a thpade, it's kind of cute.
) It is interesting to note how some unpleasant facts are made palatable and saleable by "verbal cosmetology".
Here are some common euphemisms.
Death insurance is marketed as Life Insurance, although it kicks in only when you "kick the bucket".
Real Life Insurance will only be possible when mankind discovers or develops the nectar of immortality.
However, no-one really wants to buy Death Insurance, it is far more pleasant to buy Life Insurance.
Similarly, Health Insurance is really Sickness Insurance, automobile Insurance is actually Accident Insurance while Home insurance is in reality Theft and Fire Insurance.
Sometimes misnomers arise from excessive idealism on our part.
As an example, we refer to our universities as "Institutes of Higher Learning" whereas with the high cost of tuition nowadays, it is more appropriate to drop the "L" from Learning and call them "Institutes of Higher Earning.
" Another odd term that was bandied about during the recent financial crisis was "Toxic Assets".
An object can be toxic OR it can be an asset; I do not understand how it can be both.
This is a real oxymoron.
Another misleading use of words is when we refer to all our elected representatives as "Leaders".
A real leader is one who is interested in being enlightened, visionary and setting an example for his followers.
Several State governors have recently engaged in behavior that is anything but exemplary.
Besides, with a few exceptions, most of our elected representatives are primarily interested in improving their standing in the public opinion polls, with the sole objective of getting re-elected..
This really makes them "followers" of public opinion and not "leaders", so we should call them "followers" appointed to a leadership position.
The term that has caused the most economic damage worldwide has been home price "appreciation" that was (mis)used from 2001 to 2007, during the real estate bubble.
There was nothing to cheer about when home prices rose to unaffordable levels and home buyers took on unsustainable levels of debt to buy houses.
(On the contrary, it would be something to appreciate if home prices were low and the average Joe could afford a home loan payment without breaking his back.
) It would have been more accurate to simply recognize and call the price run up as Inflation, rather than appreciation.
By the same token, if the prices of food, clothing and automobiles doubled in the next 2-3 years, we would be very upset, we would not call it inflation, not appreciation.
By way of comparison, manufacturers of packaged food are required by law to label them accurately.
Not only that, they are also required to declare all the ingredients in the contents of their can or package.
Correct labeling is critical for ensuring that we get what we need or are looking for.
Just as correct labeling is important for the foods we ingest, correct nomenclature is important for the ideas and concepts we imbibe into our minds.
If anyone asked me "What's in a name?," I would answer "everything.
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