A year back, I wasn’t aware of this tendency of mine. But as we learn new terms, they give us ideas. So what’s a euphemism? It is a mild or pleasant word or phrase that we use instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive. Kind of a sugar-coated thing.
Have you noticed your manager or your friend using the word “area of improvement” when they actually wanted to say “weakness”?
OR
Did you read the word “furlough” when companies started firing people during the Covid-19 pandemic?
If you ask the people who use euphemisms, their common response is: “to soften the blow”. Soften the blow of what? Words?
When we use euphemisms, we create a gap in trust. We leave the other person second-guessing even when we genuinely compliment them.
I see the usage of euphemism as a failure on part of the speaker. It’s a sign that a healthy relationship is lacking.
We have built our culture to throw off responsibility. The promotion of euphemism is nothing but freeing people from their efforts. I have to work hard to establish trust, transparency, and accountability.
But sometimes, people resort to euphemisms for other purposes. Nancy Kleinbaum had written that the primary purpose of language is “to woo women”. That’s true. But an even more powerful purpose is to use it as a political tool. Euphemism is a political tool if you think about it. Otherwise, why would the media outlets use “furlough” during covid and the recent startup cost-cutting but use “fire” while describing Elon Musk’s cost-cutting at Twitter?
The point is, euphemisms let people shrug off responsibility, suppress the truth, and make people helpless. All of which I see as detrimental effects when it comes to human connections.