"Mom, what did you think of Marla?""She seemed nice.""Oh no, you hated her.""What? I didn't say I hated her. I said she seemed nice.""Only nice?""Yes, very nice.""But you didn't think she was terrific?""I just met her. She was sweet and pleasant. She seemed nice. What's the matter with 'nice'?"You're just saying that. I could tell you didn't like her.""No, I do like her. What do you want me to say, that she's amazing, astonishing, awesome?""She isn't?""Jason, give me a break!""See, I told you, you didn't like her."I don't know when perfectly respectable adjectives like 'nice,' 'good' and 'smart' became not good enough. Perhaps it happened when people began to go to elaborate lengths to emphasize the good. That's when a smart kid became a 'genius,' a pretty girl became 'drop-dead gorgeous' and a rich guy became a 'gazillionaire.'Perhaps word inflation simply follows the inflation that has occurred in other areas of society. When the majority of students at an Ivy League school receive an A in their course, then a B+ becomes a disappointment, a B pathetic. When high school students drive new BMWs to school, then a preowned Ford, even in good shape, may be perceived as far less than adequate. Sometimes this exposure to verbal inflation begins early in a child's life. For instance, if Johnny goes tinkle in the potty and mommy is very, very excited and daddy is really, really proud and grandma buys Johnny a very special present for the occasion, then superlatives become the norm and less ecstatic responses are viewed as deficient. I think it's perfectly honorable for "good" to be good, "nice" to be nice, and "fine" to be fine. Will you join me in my campaign to resist the runaway inflation of everyday speech? Copyright 2006Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping people build competence, enrich relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. You can contact her at DrSapadin@aol.com or visit her website at www.psychwisdom.com
