Tag: news media

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Creative Writing writing

A Perfect Storm of Perfect Storm Clichés

A perfect storm of perfect storm clichés

The other day, I heard it again. Someone on a news segments said such and such is a “perfect storm.” It was the first time that week I heard this and it wasn’t about the same topic. It is time we officially admit we have a problem with the perfect storm cliché.

unrecognizable person with umbrella on beach
Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels.com

I went to Google and searched the phrase, “perfect storm.” The results didn’t surprise me. As of January 15, 2022 there are…

Mind you, I expect some of the general search to be about the real life event, the book by Sebastian Junger, and movie. If you search this phrase on Amazon, you get over 930 results. However, are we getting to the point that it is losing its meaning?

News reporters and interviewees are using this cliché to describe supply chain issues, the pandemic, inflation, worker shortages, data privacy, crimes, climate change, and yes, weather events. How many perfect storms can there be? Is everything perfectly stormy now?

Perfect Storm Cliches or Clichés?

It may look pretentious to add the accent mark in “cliché”. But it is one of those words English speakers have borrowed from French. Can anybody pronounce it correctly with the accent mark? Without it, most of us would go around saying “Klich.” Nobody wants that!

I like clichés. They have served me well over the years as an illustrator and cartoonist. I have always loved to take something we have come to expect and turn a phrase or situation into the unexpected. Phrases become clichés because they are so popular, everyone begins to use them.

I don’t recall us having a perfect storm cliché problem before the book and movie came out. However, thanks to Wikipedia, I found that “Perfect Storm” has been used at least since the eighteenth century. There must have been something about the 1991 storm that captured the imagination of Americans. Now we can’t help but describe any bad situation as a perfect storm. I don’t know if the phrase is becoming so overused, it has lost its impact and meaning.

However, what I do know is that so many people have been using the phrase in the last couple of years. Is it starting to lose its meaning? Maybe I shouldn’t care that much, but when I heard it again, the cliché began to sound like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Wait, I am using another cliché to complain about a cliché. I’m not being very helpful, am I?

Categories
motivation

I blew it this weekend…and you probably did too!

"I blew it this weekend...and you probably did too!"

This was a rough weekend. It was difficult to see the riots, the anger and hatred play out in the news. Cities were burning. Both sides were pointing fingers. In the midst of this are the warnings this could make the coronavirus pandemic worse because of the mass gatherings.

Racism is ugly. It can cause pain and death. I have to admit I don’t know much about what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racism, nor do I understand how hate can dominate one’s life. The issues are much too complex for simple solutions. It can give everyone a sense of hopelessness and despair.

I let it get to me.

You probably let it get to you as well. Who couldn’t? And yet, there were some things I had to be grateful for.

  • The weather was perfect where I live
  • I have the love of a beautiful, devoted wife
  • I am alive, healthy and active
  • I witnessed the first manned launch spaceflight from US soil in nine years

But this time, I didn’t count my blessings. I let the news get me down. I let the narrative of the news sour me. It was a mistake. But it was a mistake that I’m sure a lot of us made.

We cannot ignore the hurt and pain. Yet, we cannot let it put us in a place of hopelessness. How can anything be repaired if we believe it is hopeless?

As we start a new month and a new week, let’s pick up the pieces, count our blessings, and remember there is always something to be grateful for. Then let’s fix what we can. There are plenty of things to be fixed. But let us remember to give ourselves and others grace for the things we can’t fix.

Categories
motivation

Step Away From the TMI!

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

This week has been filled with information. It’s taken TMI (Too Much Information) to a new level! Newsday has an article entitled, Coronavirus Conundrum: How Much Information is Too Much Information? In it, the article states the predicament public officials find themselves in.

“The excessive communication [public officials broadcast] is exacerbated by the environment we’re in… But it’s unavoidable because of the modalities of communication now. If they don’t fill up the space, the space will be filled up by rumor, misinformation, and speculation.”

Gerald Benjamin in Coronavirus Conundrum

Officials feel they need to get the information out. Twenty-four-hour cable news networks have news and opinions to give. Everybody has to get their opinion out there. And some opinions are treated as fact without any evidence. Conspiracy theories abound about the origins of the disease and how it’s now being handled. It’s enough to make you want to disinfect your smartphone from the inside as well as the exterior!

But now it’s Saturday. We made it to the weekend. Take a deep breath and step away from all the information. It will be all right. Even if you are reading this on a weekday, it’s okay to step away from all the news right now. Don’t worry. It will all be waiting for you when you get back. Besides, if it’s really important, someone will probably want to discuss it with you. But be careful. If someone claims this virus was caused by space aliens that want to buy Manhattan high-rises at bargain prices, you may want to reevaluate your news source.

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear
Categories
Marketing motivation

Marketing Doom and Gloom

Cartoon of two boys on a trail. a signpost says, "Trail of Doom." A boy says, "If they want me to take it, they should use better marketing."

The concept of haunted houses and trails of terror mystifies me. What is it about humans that we want to seek out danger and fear while avoiding it at the same time? In other words, why is marketing doom and gloom so successful?

The boy in my cartoon assumes the marketing isn’t working for him. He has no interest in something suggesting a bad ending. Yet, experience suggests it’s exactly that kind of marketing that makes the most impact. 

  • We gravitate towards the news items with disaster footage and crime
  • The headline format that states the story then adds a line like and why this should scare you, gets a lot of clicks
  • We tend to demonize someone who doesn’t agree with us

Personally, I like good news stories. I want something uplifting that challenges the belief that the world is going to pot. The other kind of marketing may get a lot of attention. But thoughtful media and marketing that inspires and motivates us to be better, now that is a challenge that is well worth rising up to!

So my advice is to cast our anxieties aside and to stay away from marketing doom and gloom!

Cartoon of two boys on a trail. a signpost says, "Trail of Doom." A boy says, "If they want me to take it, they should use better marketing."
Categories
Attitude motivation

How About Some Good News?

Cartoon of two cups. One is a styrofoam cup and says, "The news doesn't bother me. I'm very insulated against the world."

There are some days when it seems the best way to stay positive is to shun any news program or alerts and flee to a forest guaranteed to have no cell signal or wifi. I’ve found checking the news in the morning is the worst. Was the world really that bad while I slept? It makes me yearn for some refreshment.

Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.

Proverbs 25:25 NLT

Seek some good news today. If you are in a place where Daylight Saving Time is observed, celebrate you had an extra hour to sleep in this morning. Spend time with someone who is positive and makes you feel alive. Create good news by being generous or doing a kind act for someone.

Too often, we gravitate towards bad news. It generates fear and dread. Seek some good news and be refreshed as you start a new week and month. After all, in the United States, November is a good month to focus on gratitude.