I've got an idea for politicians: Let's remove the word "articulate" (and it's less benign cousin, "well-spoken", for that matter) from our national political vocabulary, please. No word more regularly causes trouble or problems for politicians than this, particularly when used in reference to black legislators, candidates, or individuals. Let's just go ahead and stop using it.
I've got another idea for the general public: Let's stop assuming we're each more open-minded than everyone else. From a Yahoo article on a Rasmussen Poll:
"Earlier surveys had found that roughly eight-out-of-ten voters express a willingness to personally vote for either a woman or an African-American candidate. However, just over half believe their family, friends, and co-workers are willing to do the same."
Do we really think so poorly of each other, especially those we choose to associate with?
One last idea for authors: Let's stop with the never-ending subtitles on every book. Not every book needs a subtitle. In a 2004 article, publisher William Germano notes, "We've led authors to believe the way to make their book attractive is to start with something general or jazzy, then drop your guard and show what you really are writing about."
Currently, 16 of the top 25 selling books on Amazon.com are subtitled, 20 of the top 25 in non-fiction feature a lengthy addendum. I commend Bill O'Reilly for his succint titling of his latest offering, "Culture Warrior".
The most egregious offender of all is the novelist who subtitles his/her novel : A Novel. Anyone doing this deserves to beaten over the head with his/her typewriter (because as we all know from the the movies, all writers still use typewriters)
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