Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Whoa say can you see...

Reports indicate that federal government communications are going out under a different banner. Rather than saying ‘Government of Canada,’ announcements are to be presented with the words, ‘Canada’s New Government.’

I noticed this phrase a few weeks ago in a radio report. Even then I thought, Haven’t they been around for too long to call themselves ‘new’ anymore? But no, apparently not.

What they seem to be talking about is indeed a new form of government. Fixed election dates sound like only one small part of the changes they’re making.

The adjective ‘new’ rings other alarm bells for me. It’s one of those words that’s been so absorbed into the lingo of advertising, I wonder how long will it be until they throw in an ‘improved’ too. I’m bracing myself for terms like ‘buy now’ and ‘sale price’ to pop up on government stationery any day now – as if there’s much of anything left that hasn’t been bargained away already.

Just another sunny day in September.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In my humble opinion, "New" and "Improved" are code words for "what happens next is beyond the ordinary citizen's capacity and power, to understand and to respond meaningfully."