“Ization Nation”

I’ll be keeping this week’s Muse on the short side as tonight is my band’s final performance of the summer concert season and my mind is squarely focused on creating a wonderful experience for our concertgoers. It’s certainly a bittersweet moment when the summer winds down. Tonight, we’ll add a dramatic crescendo to the annual transition from summer to fall.

I hope you’re doing everything you can to enjoy this transition and will not let crisp, sunny fall days pass you by.

Anyway, the topic this week is a concerning uptick in political rhetoric around the world—specifically in the U.S.—that contains direct or indirect reference to violence. “Weaponization” immediately comes to mind as an example, followed closely by “demonization.” You can’t open a digital newspaper or watch the news without seeing a reference to some policy, government agency, or legislation becoming “weaponized” by one side or the other of a highly polarized debate.

My plea today is to bring the temperature down in political discourse by being mindful of the language we use. Yes, extreme language makes for juicy headlines, but it also creates unnecessary barriers to constructive conversations. We definitely need more constructive dialog to heal, drive objective accountability, and move forward. I’ve found myself getting caught up in salacious Twitter threads and having to remind myself that there are multiple sides to every story. It takes conscious effort to not get drawn into the unconstructive swirl of one side or the other.

As I’ve indicated previously in this forum, I’m also deeply concerned that caustic, toxic language may move from the political arena and make its way into the business world. While working together may be a fantasy in politics right now, we must ensure that polarization and extreme views don’t pollute business and institutional cultures.

We like to make up words. Just slap an “ization” on the end of any word in American English and voilà! A new word is born. When we’re making up words, let’s be intentional about it.

Have a great weekend…