It strikes me as rather peculiar that out of nowhere we all begin saying things like "are we singing from the same hymn sheet" or "I simply don't have the bandwidth to deal with this right now". Colouring up "do you understand what I mean?" and "My mind is too busy with other issues to focus on an extra one at the moment" is all very well, but who invents an idiomatic phrase to replace a mundane comment and who decides it's a hit?
Is there a committee closeted away in the coils of popular, trendy coffee shops, collecting and curating the modish speak they overhear while sipping vast quantities of macchiato? Maybe, armed with their arsenal of interesting phrases, they have a selection process similar to the annual Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year?
Slapped in the face a few times yesterday by the ridiculous use of 'reaching out', I began to wonder about this global crisis that hasn't hit the headlines yet.
Seriously, of all the possible responses to an application for a project posted on a freelance writing site, which application included: submitting a CV, links to web sites I've written content for, attaching samples of published work and a quotation all covered by a cheery note explaining when I can commence and how long I estimate the job will take, a return message thanking me for 'reaching out' wasn't one I envisaged.
"Thank you for your application, we regret to decline..."
"Thanks, this looks great, can we discuss in more detail.."
"Perfect, where do we sign?"
Even blank silence would have been something I understood, but ' thanks for reaching out to us'? I didn't Reach Out, honey, I applied for work!
Then later, when I was deeply engrossed in 'Blacklist', the dratted words came out again. The glamorous FBI Profiler (yeah, I know!), her softly bewildered gaze intent on something off-screen behind the viewer, used the phrase twice in one sentence as she battled to explain why a global master criminal was offering her helpful information. 'Reach out' sounds somewhat soft and cuddly to me, the sort of phrase I associate with community and aid organisations, gently encouraging shy, battered people and animals to trust them, or a fluffy way to oil their approach into wallets. I think the scriptwriter fell in love with the 'trend speak' and sacrificed plausibility; for goodness sake, the master criminal responsible for killing thousands, dabbling in chemical weapons, stealing government secrets - he 'reaches out'?
I think not. A GMC worth his salt would demand, trade, negotiate. Trend speak works well in many instances but please can it be used judiciously?
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