Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

The current situation brings with it the usual proclamations by those who, despite public appearances, appear to be illiterate. We need not join them.

The current crisis brings with it, as most do, a new set of slang and expressions. Many of these are issued by public officials who, by all appearances, are educated. Most, however, seem to be illiterate.

Social Distancing: No one is asking for social distancing. They are asking for physical distancing. I can stand in my driveway and have a deep conversation with my neighbor as he stands in his driveway some 50 feet away. We are physically distance yet socially close. Many religious organizations are having meetings online. They are socially quite close while being physically quite distant.

Virtual Meetings (virtual weddings, virtual funerals, virtual classes, etc.): Back in the old days, when my mother talked on the telephone for an hour with a friend, no one called that a virtual conversation. They were talking on the telephone. People who are distant from one another (from afar or “tele”) have actual conversations, actual meetings, actual etc. even though they are distant from one another. We can have a tele-meeting or a remote meeting. Those are actual meetings, not virtual meetings. A virtual meeting is something that appears to be a meeting, but actually isn’t a meeting. I am not sure what that would be.

These are troublesome times. Illiteracy need not characterize them.