Often, the corporate world hears a buzzword it loves, adopts the term, and never lets go.
You've probably heard terms or expressions such as holistic, logistics, Come-to-Jesus moment, part of our DNA, and return on investment.
And you may have questioned how such expressions materialized. (Is the second coming of Christ occurring every day in boardrooms across America? Since when did brick-and-mortar gain DNA?)
The buzzword starts in the boardroom, filters down through management hierarchies and eventually enters the local workplace.
Through overuse, it enters public consciousness; soon, it seems like everyone speaks jargon. (Case in point: "multitasking.")
However, when you hear these popular expressions — some of which we've all probably said at one point — have you thought of using literal alternatives?
It might amuse you to ponder the answer.
Conversely, serious concern should arise when a real word — like, say, bullying — loses its meaning.
Merriam-Webster states that bullying means:
•to frighten, hurt or threaten (a smaller or weaker person)
•to cause (someone) to do something by making threats or insults or by using force
Growing up, I always thought a bully preyed on younger or weaker kids. That was the bully's specialty to compensate for low self-esteem or lack of athletic ability or talent — whatever the case may be.
The Berenstain Bears children's books — which I collected religiously — taught my generation the same thing.
In "The Berenstain Bears and the Bully," Sister Bear comes home shaken and hurting. "Who in the world would want to beat up a sweet little cub like Sister?" Mama asks. "A bully might," Brother says. Readers soon learn about the new kid in school and that one fateful day that she crossed paths with Sister Bear.
You grow up thinking one thing, and then a Crestview dad raises concerns about an Okaloosa School District discipline policy that raises even more questions.
Like whether the word bully is becoming a buzzword and, like all those corporate-world examples, has lost any real meaning.
The Okaloosa School District defines bullying as "…systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students or employees."
The policy states that bullying is "unwanted and repeated written, verbal or physical behavior, including any threatening, insulting or dehumanizing gesture, by a student or adult, that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment; cause discomfort or humiliation; or unreasonably interfere with the individual's school performance or participation…"
Suddenly, a student is not a bully without repeat offenses. (And why would you redefine such a widely accepted word — one established through not just the dictionary, but also countless art forms through generations? It's just confusing.)
Then there's the policy that students must sit on the sidelines while another student is — worst case scenario — beaten to a bloody pulp if no school employee is around. Or risk punishment.
My intention isn't to pile on the school system. After all, Niche, a company founded by Carnegie Mellon University students, recently gave Okaloosa an A minus grade based on surveys, district funding and student performance. That makes it one of the state's five best school systems.
But concerns about the school discipline policy show there's room for improvement.
Fortunately, the school board is open to suggestions, according to Henry Kelley, Okaloosa School District Community Affairs program director.
“We welcome them to come to the school board and address the board,” Kelley said in a Friday interview with our reporter, Brian Hughes. “If there are shortcomings in the system, help us work through those issues together. The school board exists for this reason.”
So there you have it, Mom and Dad. My suggestion is to take Kelley up on the school board's offer.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Time for parents, school board to talk bullying