Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Digest of gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org issue 1422 (76278-76327)

[Peter Humphrey <peter@humphrey.ukfsn.org>]

On Tuesday 04 March 2008 10:19:39 Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 08:29:01 +0000, Mick wrote:
> > Depending on the particular discipline context "issue" can also mean a
> > risk that has now been realised/manifested;  the familiar "oh sh*t!"
> > moment, e.g. when you realised that rm -Rf / was not what you meant to
> > have entered . . . before that moment you had a risk, afterwards an
> > "issue".
>
> No, you have a problem, or, as the motivators like to put it, an
> opportunity!
>
> I'm with stroller on this, the real meaning of issue has been subverted
> by spin doctors so they can say problem without using the word problem.

I agree.

It's another euphemism progress, like water-closet > lavatory > bathroom > 
rest-room etc. (I've probably missed some links in that chain). Someone 
dislikes an aspect of the original word - "fault" in this case - and 
euphemises it to "problem", then that becomes tainted with the original 
association and it gets downgraded again to "issue". Anyone want to 
speculate what will come next?

I'm all for people saying what they mean - someone referred to spades 
earlier, I think. Impressions of favourability should come a distant second 
to accuracy.

-- 
Rgds
Peter
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