Personally, I think these sorts of peevish griping lists are more indicative of the cluelessness of their authors than they are of anything having to do with the state of English. Webinar is the only one that I loathe, mainly because webinars themselves are all the fun of a human resources PowerPoint presentation without the possibility of company-provided lunch. It's not about the word for me, but about what it represents.
I agree with you Grant, I find that these lists usually range from mildly interesting to sometimes down-right annoying. It seems to me that these people forget that English is a living language and are trying to kill it through intentional stagnation.
I will admit that word over use and misuse (misuse by who's definition) can be irritating but of all things Webinars are punishment enough. 😀
> mainly because webinars themselves are all the fun of a human resources PowerPoint presentation without the possibility of company-provided lunch.
PWAH!
Agreed, y'all.
I, for one, love webinars because they save me countless hours of driving time, gas, and airline travel, and give me the opportunity to attend and participate in workshops and lectures I would otherwise not. And have you seen any of the FREE course lectures from universities like MIT? I'll take those over a company-provided lunch any day!
I believe "banishing" words and phrases from the English language is like taking the music out of a musical. Idioms and contractions are what make the language what it is. People who want to say things like "get a life" should be able to say what they want without criticism from others. The way a person talks is part of what defines their personality.