Weasel word
The topic/person/animal/it of this entry is terribly boring.
They may be afflicted with Attention Deficit Look-at-the-birdie!. |
Grammar says that weasel words are words or phrases which are intentionally vague. Arguably, they hide important information like who exactly made a certain argument or just what a statistic means. Experts[who?] have proven there is considerably less substance in weasel words. Most people[who?] agree that weasel words are bad.
Research[who?] has shown that the term "weasel word" derives from weasels sucking the contents out of an egg as if they were sucking the meaning out of words. Critics[who?] of this origin say that instead, it refers to a weasel simply being sneaky. A recent poll[who?] proves that the former origin is more popular than the latter.
Studies[who?] show weasel words are 33% more likely to be used by politicians[who?] or in advertisements.
Weasel words in politics[edit]
A lot of politicians[who?] use weasel words, which could be referred to as spin by a percentage of political experts. Mainstream voters[who?] often pay no attention to weasel words, because studies[who?] show that mainstream voters are stupid. As a result, these voters[who?] sometimes give politicians[who?] a higher approval rating. However, more people[who?] than ever are turning away from this line of thinking. According to some pundits[who?], this change will cause an improvement in politicians[who?].
Most politicians[who?] are more likely to use weasel words when discussing controversial issues. For example, if John Kerry[who?] said "Abortions are the greatest medical procedures in the world," some critics of abortions would claim that he is worse than he used to be. However, if Kerry instead said "Some Republicans[who?] say that abortions are the greatest medical procedures in the world," there is evidence that this would cause more people[who?] than ever to vote Democratic. Sometimes, politicians[who?] can sway many voters[who?] simply by dodging issues with weasel words.
Many critics[who?] say that some politicians[who?] shouldn't use weasel words as often. AAA could be a potentially famous user of what may or may not be weasel words.
Weasel words in advertising[edit]
Studies[who?] show that some people[who?] view more advertising than they used to. Arguably, advertisers[who?] are more likely to put weasel words in advertising to deceive some of those people[who?]. Many logical fallacies have been used in advertising at some point, which is considered by many to have caused a negative impact on society. Television viewers[who?] criticize commercials for the recent increase in weasel words that was highlighted in many newspapers.
Some balls[who?] are trying to ban weasel words in advertising, but it is commonly joked that most balls won't because they're too busy using weasel words to dodge the issue. The balls[who?] mentioned in the previous sentence say that because many people[who?] are more interested in commercials than ever, (thank you, Super Bowl) it should be noted that weasel words will have a worse effect. As a result, accusations of demoralizing society are often lodged.
Many critics[who?] say that some advertisers shouldn't use weasel words as often. Also, Weasels!
Sources[edit]
- Anonymous, What I And Some Other People Believe, 1962
- A recent studying group, Recent Study, recently
- The newspaper, Critic's Corner, I forget when
- Experts, Unanimous Agreement, sometime before that