{"id":188,"date":"2009-02-26T07:54:34","date_gmt":"2009-02-26T15:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=188"},"modified":"2009-02-26T07:54:34","modified_gmt":"2009-02-26T15:54:34","slug":"the-chips-are-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/the-chips-are-down\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Today at lunch I was enjoying a small bag of Mrs. Vickers potato chips.\u00a0 I absently picked up the bag and read the text on the back.\u00a0 The color text bragged that Mrs. V used “farm-grown potatoes” to make her delicious snack.<\/p>\n

Really?\u00a0 Farm<\/em>-grown?\u00a0 Impressive!<\/p>\n

On the other hand . . . what else would they be?\u00a0 Music-conservatory-grown?\u00a0 Congress-grown?\u00a0 Submarine-grown?<\/p>\n

I get really annoyed with advertising and other product copy that wrings the very meaning out of language.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong.\u00a0 I understand that the sizzle sells the steak.\u00a0 Other premium potato chips have their bags tarted up with perfectly sexy language.\u00a0 Terra Chips uses “all-natural Yukon Gold” potatoes.\u00a0 Makes sense.\u00a0 Kettle’s krinkle-cut chips boast “wavy-potato perfection.”\u00a0 I get it.<\/p>\n

But those phrases actually mean<\/em> something.\u00a0 But “farm-raised potatoes”?\u00a0 That reminds me of the cookie ingredient list I once read which listed “creamery butter.”\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 As opposed to . . . Insecticide Refinery Butter?\u00a0 Furniture Factory Butter?\u00a0 Since the word “creamery” means “a place where dairy products are made, ” I’m pretty sure all <\/em>butter is “creamery” butter.<\/p>\n

Another one that gets me is the vile practice of all three major television networks to refer to upcoming episodes of their series as “all-new.”\u00a0 What does “all-new” mean?\u00a0 I’m pretty sure it means “new.”\u00a0 Unfortunately, some marketing person decided that “all-new” sounded sexier, and the term has now become standard.<\/p>\n

I love language, and I understand that, at least until the entire<\/em> population of our country is functionally illiterate, that language will be used to sell products.\u00a0 I just wish the professionals wouldn’t insult us by using language which has absolutely no meaning.<\/p>\n

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