Labels Change With Time

Language is amazing.

We don’t change the situation.
We just change the name.
And suddenly it feels… upgraded.

Once upon a time, someone d*ed.
Now they are “unalived.”

Homeless?
No, no. “Unsheltered.”
Or even better, “rough sleepers.”
Sounds almost adventurous. Like they chose camping as a lifestyle.

Manpower became Human Resource.
Then Human Capital.
Next version probably Human Asset Portfolio.
Soon your annual appraisal will come with a stock ticker symbol.

We don’t fire people anymore.
We “let them go.”
As if we are gently releasing a helium balloon into the sky.

You are not old.
You are “silver generation.”
Not stubborn.
You are “strong-willed.”
Not blur.
You are “strategically ambiguous.”

Poor?
“Financially challenged.”

Fat?
“Plus-sized.”

Bossy?
“Leadership potential.”

Late?
“Operating on flexible time.”

Kiasu?
“Highly competitive and future-oriented.”

Even gossip got upgraded.
Now it’s “information sharing.”

Here’s my favourite.
We don’t complain anymore.
We “provide feedback.”

At this rate, one day:
Lazy will be called “energy efficient.”
Procrastination will be “strategic delay.”
And kopi break will be “liquid-based performance enhancement session.”

The world didn’t get softer.
We just wrapped it in bubble wrap vocabulary.

Maybe labels change because we are trying to be kinder.
Or maybe we just want everything to sound more LinkedIn.

Either way, I am not aging.
I am “time-accumulating.”

What other upgraded labels have you noticed lately?