20 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
gorwellAug 2021Strongly recommends
Did anyone else notice this euphemism treadmill update? "for people experiencing homelessness" "the number of people experiencing homelessness" "of those experiencing homelessness" This softer language with more syllables is not for the benefit of the homeless, it's for everyone else so they don't feel as bad about it. Which makes it less likely anything will be done. George Carlin made this point brilliantly: ▶ this video
in “Homelessness is about housing” · View on HN
bullfightonmarsAug 2024Recommends
George Carlin has a great bit on euphemism where he makes the case that euphemisms are used to soften the meaning of things that are painful to the point of being meaningless, e.g. shellshock -> ptsd ▶ this video The author of this article pointed our some similar examples: welfare -> cash assistance -> TANF.
in “Euphemisms are best changed frequently (2016)” · View on HN
ryandrakeMay 2022Recommends
George Carlin had a great bit[1] about our continuous need to soften our language with euphemisms. That, combined with a kind of forced optimism: needing to hide all negativity inside robotic passive aggression, is what communication has become in a lot of corporations. I don't imagine anyone actually likes having to do it, but we all seem to adopt these speech patterns eventually. Every time your boss tells you, "Hey, can you tone it down next time? Fred told me he was very offended by your asking him to do his job!"-- you're being asked to participate in the game. 1: ▶ this video
in “How to professionally say” · View on HN
DevX101Dec 2014Recommends
"You can't be afraid of words that speak the truth. I don't like words that hide the truth. I don't like words that conceal reality. I don't like euphemisms or euphemistic language. And American english is loaded with euphemisms. Because Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent a kind of a soft language to protect themselves from it. And it gets worse with every generation. For some reason it just keeps getting worse." - George Carlin Here's an amusing and insightful video of Carlin dissecting the language behind Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ▶ this video The U.S. military seems particularly prone to this habit of using euphemisms to mask reality.
in “US Senate Report on CIA Detention and Interrogation Program” · View on HN
nsagentNov 2025Cites it
Because it goes hand-in-hand with the euphemism treadmill. I defer to the late great George Carlin's words on the subject: I don't like euphemisms, or euphemistic language. And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Cause Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of a soft language to protest themselves from it, and it gets worse with every generation. Video ▶ this video or text form: [link]
in “Git 3.0 will use main as the default branch” · View on HN
dig1Aug 2025Cites it
I believe this reflects the euphemization of the english language in US, a concept that George Carlin discussed many years ago [1]. As he put it, "we don't die, we pass away" or "we are not broke, we have negative cash flow". Many non-English speakers find these terms to be nonsensical. [1] ▶ this video
in “Claude says “You're absolutely right!” about everything” · View on HN
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esafakFeb 2024Cites it
"Poor people used to live in slums. Now the economically disadvantaged occupy substandard housing in the inner cities. And they're broke! They're broke! They don't have a negative cash-flow position. They're ****ing broke! Cause a lot of them were fired. You know, fired. Management wanted to curtail redundancies in the human resources area, so many people are no longer viable members of the workforce." George Carlin. ▶ this video *
in “Our Company Is Doing So Well That You're All Fired” · View on HN
jjavMar 2023Cites it
> I prefer the term blind because it is pretty descriptive and relatively short Always reminds me of the George Carlin bit on language euphemisms used to distance us from reality ( ▶ this video ).
in “The moral case against equity language” · View on HN
civilizedMar 2023Cites it
Contemporary word fixation is a distraction. People should get off the social media hamster wheel, take a walk, and dream up a more meaningful way to help their fellow man (human / hxmxn / whatever). It's blown up to the extent that we must now write essays about it, but it would have been better if we had never gone there in the first place. This stuff is very not new. George Carlin did a rant about it over 30 years ago [1]. Seems like the only real effect is class signaling; those who invest in staying "with it" signal their willingness to pay lip service to the latest ideological fads. [1] ▶ this video
in “The moral case against equity language” · View on HN
halotropeOct 2021Cites it
The George Carlin bit [1] about euphemisms comes to mind. While not quite in the lens of marketing hyperbole it captures really well what it means to dilute the language. The result is a loss of meaning and expressive power. If everything is something, nothing is. 1: ▶ this video
in “Stop Calling Everything AI, Machine-Learning Pioneer Says” · View on HN
MarcellusDrumOct 2020Cites it
The "Patriot Act" is so maliciously named its more funny than sad. Reminds me of George Carlin's show about changing words to make them softer.[1] An good example he used to show this is the condition the fighters get from shock in combat. In WW1, it was called Shell Shock, a terrifying name. The same condition in WW1 was called Battle Fatigue, a nicer name. In the Korean War, the name changed to Operational Exhaustion, removing any humanity from it. After the Vietnam War, the name because Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When you compare the terms "Shell Shock" and "PTSD", it's obvious what the intent is. [1]: ▶ this video
in “PRISM – NSA surveillance program did not prevent a single terrorist attack” · View on HN
stan_programmerMay 2018Cites it
I just have a hard time with this term. It feels.. disconnected... I don't know. It reminds me of George Carlin's bit on "Shell Shock"/"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder". ▶ this video
in “The Peter Principle Isn't Just Real, It's Costly” · View on HN
aq3cnOct 2016Cites it
He made fun of euphemism and the way people mourn over or feel hurt because of choice of words. ▶ this video This article asks us to avoid the d word (death, dead). This is bit too extreme for me. English is my third language and I have hurt people at multiple occasions because of poor choice of words. I wish it goes away, so that my life can be easier. It is not easy to live in society as an autistic person and I have no interest in learning manners of society when I believe I have more meaningful interests to pursue. If you are a social person, you will not like my opinion and it's fine. I am used to that. Check what Linus has to say about it in his TEDx talk. [link]
in “The Art of Condolence” · View on HN
NadyaNov 2015Cites it
Do people realize that euphemisms do not change the meaning of something? `voluntaryExit`? What do they think suicide actually is? Oh well, at least it provides relevant context to shoehorn Carlin in. [0] [1] It amazes me so many people are willing to receive their sticks from the stick people. [0] ▶ this video [1] [link]
in “Replace suicide as a verb – Issue #3721 – Node.js/node” · View on HN
itistoday2May 2015Cites it
I am concerned that by calling it "civil forfeiture" this article is using language to mask a very basic crime. What was described in this article is called stealing or theft. To call it anything else is to mask and downplay what was done to this man. It is to enable the very act that was committed. George Carlin observed this as a dangerous trend in our language: ▶ this video Call it "civil forfeiture" once if you have to (perhaps as a footnote). But to repeatedly use such "soft language" is to delay an end to such injustice.
in “How the DEA took a young man’s life savings without charging him with a crime” · View on HN
jimbobimboOct 2014Cites it
Good observation on "golden key" == "backdoor". That reminded me George Carlin's "Euphemisms": ▶ this video (May have strong language)
in “The Horror of a 'Secure Golden Key'” · View on HN
kragenJul 2024Joke
> Much of what is categorized as post-traumatic stress disorder may actually be caused by repeated exposure to blasts. that is to say, it's actually shell shock? as in, actual physical shock from actual shells? george carlin would be so proud ▶ this video the article also mentions that they'd all trained extensively in diving deep underwater, which is also known to cause brain damage, but the 'interface astroglial scarring' pathology lab results sound pretty specific to big shock waves i'm skeptical that firing a rifle produces shock waves that induce cavitation in brain tissue, though
in “Pattern of brain damage is pervasive in Navy SEALs who died by suicide” · View on HN
drdaemanMay 2022Joke
Ha, I'm surprised they still say "layoff" at all, and not mask it behind some softer euphemism. Reminds me of this George Carlin's performance: ▶ this video
in “Bolt announces layoffs” · View on HN
ublazeFeb 2021Joke
Not to throw shade on Sequoia, but the statement "We recently experienced a cybersecurity incident" reminds me of Euphemisms by George Carlin ( ▶ this video )
in “Sequoia Capital says it was hacked” · View on HN
sarciszewskiJun 2015Joke
> Feminism is a women's movement for women by women. I am not a woman, so I cannot be a feminist, but I can be a feminist ally. > What would you prefer to call it? I'd prefer the use of the compound noun "feminist ally" over the generic and ambiguous noun "ally". > I fail to see how this is a torture of the English language. ▶ this video Slight exaggeration for the sake of humor.
in “How to Fight Unconscious Bias and Become a Better Ally” · View on HN