I never got used to the way the house Trots fell into the jargon back in Grimsby - I mean, on any other subject, like the death of the novel, or the sex life of the editor's secretary, they spoke ordinary English, but as soon as they started trying to get me to join the strike it was as if their brains had been taken out and replaced by one of those little golf-ball things you get in electric typewriters... 'Betrayal'... 'Confrontation'... 'Management'... My God, you'd need a more supple language than that to describe an argument between two amoebas.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Activists often use rigid jargon that makes ordinary communication impossible.
- In plain terms
- People speak normally except when using big union words that confuse everyone.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid jargon when trying to persuade or explain.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does jargon affect your understanding?
- When is simple language better?
Another view
Jargon can help groups organize and share specific concepts.
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