The Vernacular Has Come Full Circle

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the dumbening of America is well underway. At first I believed this was isolated to the younger generations who have been raised on the electronic teat of the internet, where information comes quickly and often inaccurately. But it appears this is now reaching farther.

For example, just today I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle stating that Google will soon be offering "video ads" to customer web sites. Now, call me old-fashioned, but back in my day we used to call "video ads" commercials. Just because you're putting it on the internet doesn't take away from the fake that it's simply a commercial. Next thing you know they'll start calling cars "mechanical transportation devices". Looks like someone is flexing their Ivy League degree over at the San Francisco Chronicle.

A second, more awesome example came courtesy of the Indianapolis Star several weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to dig up an electronic version of the article in question who's headline read - and I'm not joking - "Study Finds 1 in 3 US Residents is a Minority". Thanks for clearing that up for me, Indianapolis Star.