Is this article really in the BATT? What purpose does this serve? Useless.

Stimulation of deeper thought, I think, George.

For example, given the "Jena 6" stuff going on now, what does the euphemism "forizzle" mean to you?

To me, it means the debuit of a whole new language (by an African-American).

On the other hand, to the racist, it might been just another crude, foul word in the so called "ebonics" dictionary.

WOW, I see a purpose, George! Just like magic, it appears!

It seems that our friend Benjamin is so familiar with "inoperable statements" (lies), he is immune to the fact that euphemisms are used to deceitfully hide a reality.

Because we're no longer in preschool, I am going to avoid discussing infantile terms and skip ahead to relevant words we, as adults, have to deal with. While I would agree that words such as "passed" or "deceased" would be considered so-called "good words", what about a "therapeutic misadventure" (a death in a hospital)? Is that a "good word", or just a cover up?

Do you support the "collateral damage" (the death of innocent civilians during a military strike), and the "enhanced interrogation"/"sensory manipulation" (torture) that prevails in Iraq? Are these "good words", or are these terms used to hide their true meaning?

It seems Benjamin has trouble distinguishing a euphemism from a synonym.

The word "yonder" is nothing more than a synonym of "over there", these terms have the same meaning. Because "over there" can describe something in another room, or in another county, does that render it a "meaningless" word? How can a real word be meaningless?

A euphemism is a word used in place of another when the original meaning is too harsh or embarrassing, such as a "normally occurring abnormal occurrence" (a nuclear accident), or the "derecruitment" (getting fired) your company is performing because of a "workforce imbalance" (too many employees).

While speaking of euphemisms, Benjamin encourages his readers to "use them as much as possible." In my opinion, the point of speaking is to describe our thoughts and feelings accurately, so that the listener is able to understand without question. Why would we converse with words the listener might not understand? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of communication?

Benjamin closes his article encouraging the use of euphemisms which force the listener to "think outside the box".

I think it's ironic that Benjamin uses a cliche saying which lacks original thought to persuade critical thinking.

Think freely, objectively, and analyze everything!

About the author requirement: Ben Porter is a student at Sierra College in Grass Valley, California, which is about three hours north-east of Sacramento. He is currently attending his first semester, and his major is undecided.

How about this one:

WWI: Shell shock

WWII: battle fatigue

Vietnam and today: Post traumatic stress disorder... meaning of original word is taken away...

instead of crippled, you have handicapped, which is now vertically challenged...

it goes on and on and on...