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| OPINION: A Search for the Right Word |
| Eugene Reilly | 7/28/10 |
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| Back to the News Summaries |
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"Putz."
An interesting word. "Putz". Doesn’t roll off the tongue; more like the blast from an air ratchet.
"Putz"... what does it mean? Well, according to the “Free dictionary” and from “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” the word, one I heard whispered by my neighbors in my old neighborhood when they referred to a person they disliked, is defined as:
putz - (Yiddish) noun: 1. a fool; an idiot.
Yiddish - a dialect of High German including some Hebrew and other words; spoken in Europe as a vernacular by many Jews; written in the Hebrew script. Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
I am a devoted fan of the “O’Reilly Factor” and one of my favorite segments is his word for the day. Reviving the use of Old English words, or English language words that have fallen on disuse is always fun for me and words that have been incorporated into our language also adds color and flavor to our discourse. . The power of words cannot be overemphasized, or the ability of a few choice words can harm and hold others up to undeserved ridicule and scorn.
 So I searched my memory for a word that would describe the individual that felt compelled to single myself and my friend, and coworker, out in sarcastic terms at a recent open forum at the “LWV Meet the Candidates”.
Up to the mic strolls this person to ask a candidate a question, I don’t remember the question, who it was asked of, nor the answer (and I couldn’t find anyone who did recall this either) because his preceding sarcastic remark stole the moment.
Now I never met this individual, and as best I can recall I have never done him or his wrong. So I sat a little perplexed when his opening remarks sounded a lot like the drabble I would hear from an over-medicated flower child who didn’t like the “pigs”. These tirades would drone on as I stood on a riot line in the mid-seventies.
Now I’ve been in this game a very long time. I have weathered the sly remarks about graft and pinching apples (or donuts….depends on your decade) and the muttered comments about the Knapp Commission or the Rodney King episode, to the host of news stories that shed light on incidents that stain the public perception of some of the individuals that share my chosen career. I have been down that road so often that I now use a bus pass. It is difficult to change people’s perceptions if they harbor intense prejudices.
But to have rushed to the League of Women Voters Meet the Candidates forum right after work, and still being in my work clothes, not suspecting that anyone who recognizes the attire, or for that matter, the man inside, would feel the need to sarcastically refereed to me, even after the moderator admonished all to be civil and not resort to personal attacks, left me surprised and amused.
I have supported and defended the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for those thirty six years, and I have found myself in some uncomfortable situations when although the speech being uttered was by any decent standard out of line, I would protect the person’s right to say it... that is what the oath says... that is what is expected of you!
So when I and my life time pursuit is held up to ridicule because the speaker has an issue with the profession, I feel compelled to at least respond. I would never think to disrupt the forum, or make the attendees feel in anyway uncomfortable by challenging the remark and its obvious intent. But since it was made in a public venue, and people that I haven’t met yet may leave with the wrong or downright negative impression of me and my profession I want to tell this individual what I think, and since I knew I would be verbose in telling the circumstances that compel me to write this, I search for a word, one word to sum up my feelings.... Just one word...
shmuck - (Yiddish) noun: 1. a jerk; a dork; a dull stupid fatuous person.
schmo, schmuck, shmo.
Yiddish - a dialect of High German including some Hebrew and other words; spoken in Europe as a vernacular by many Jews; written in the Hebrew script. Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Now here is an interesting word, but then again, my search continues... |
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