How true: What Our Words Tell Us

Posted on May 21, 2013 by msvoss

This David Brooks column in the New York Times tells of a fascinating study about the words we use and what that says about our culture and society. Across the page is a column noting that 50 million Americans live with food insecurity yet Congress continues to sequester and want to cut funds for the food stamp program. How can this be? I just don’t understand it. Are Americans really that callous? At any rate, I suggest we start using more words — “decency,” for example — that support the common good and more concern for each other. What words would you like to see used more frequently?

About msvoss

Melinda Voss, MPH, APR, is a freelance writer, editor and public relations specialist. A staff writer for The Des Moines Register and Tribune for nearly 26 years, she has won regional and national awards and taught undergraduate and graduate journalism courses at three universities. In 1999, she earned a master's degree in public health from the University of Minnesota after co-founding the Association of Health Care Journalists in 1997. Voss initially served as the association's unpaid coordinator, then became the executive director from 1999 to 2004. She then became the public relations director for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and served in that position until November 2012. She earned her APR, an accreditation in public relations, in 2011.

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