Anything I want it to be
What does it all mean?
Posted 07-12-2004 at 10:20 by Acrylic-bob
I was rooting round on the internet earlier, looking for some indication of the history of the price of crude oil, and I came across a pop-up advertisement which I found puzzling. It said that "x company", had "made twelve stock plays last year, eleven of which were winners".
I find this puzzling and annoying. I had always been under the impression that the whole point of language was to enable us to communicate ideas and meaning in as precise a form as possible. Nowhere is this need for clarity more important than in financial matters, which, god knows, is complicated enough. I fail to see the point of discussing or advertising a financial service in the same terms that one would find in the tabloid press in reference to a sporting event.
Suerely using metaphors from a specific sport limits the understanding of a message to those who recognise the metaphor. I have no understanding of what a "play" might entail, thus the message of the pop-up advertisement is lost on me. It becomes a matter of complete indifference whether such "plays" were successful or not. All of which leaves aside the consideration of whether I would place my finances in the hands of a company which chooses to express itself in a manner that scarcely approaches clarity.
I find this puzzling and annoying. I had always been under the impression that the whole point of language was to enable us to communicate ideas and meaning in as precise a form as possible. Nowhere is this need for clarity more important than in financial matters, which, god knows, is complicated enough. I fail to see the point of discussing or advertising a financial service in the same terms that one would find in the tabloid press in reference to a sporting event.
Suerely using metaphors from a specific sport limits the understanding of a message to those who recognise the metaphor. I have no understanding of what a "play" might entail, thus the message of the pop-up advertisement is lost on me. It becomes a matter of complete indifference whether such "plays" were successful or not. All of which leaves aside the consideration of whether I would place my finances in the hands of a company which chooses to express itself in a manner that scarcely approaches clarity.
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