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A House United, and Words Better Left Unsaid
“You ask me why I do not write something
… I think one’s feelings waste themselves
in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions
and into actions which bring results.”
— Florence Nightingale
s Speaker of the ASA House of Delegates, it is my
duty and honor to preside over its two meetings during
the Annual Meeting in October. A major portion of
my responsibility in this office is to conduct our
sessions in a fair and impartial, but efficient, manner.
The job is quite challenging, as any parliamentarian
will readily acknowledge. It is extremely rewarding,
however, to work with so many bright, capable and
concerned members of our Society to craft the policy
that directs our Society.
In order for the House to complete its work in just
two half-day sessions and an afternoon at Reference
Committee hearings, countless hours of preparation
are required by those submitting reports and resolutions
as well as those reviewing them. Many Delegates and
Alternate Delegates take on additional responsibilities
by serving on Reference Committees, on our Committee
on Credentials or as tellers. These individuals, along
with our dedicated ASA staff, make completing our
tasks possible.
In response to the House of Delegates survey conducted
last year, Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., ASA President,
appointed a task force at my request to evaluate the
current format of our Handbook for Delegates and to
suggest potential improvements that can be made. This
report will be forthcoming at the August Board of
Directors meeting. It is one of the goals of your
Speaker and Vice-Speaker, serving at your discretion,
to implement as many of their approved recommendations
as possible over the next few years. These potential
changes will require patience and adjustments, but,
with your assistance and constructive input, they
can be accomplished.
Another important goal is to facilitate effective,
timely and efficient communication both to and from
your speakers. Last year we implemented the Speakers’
Letter, which contains various announcements and information
for the benefit of the House. It is my intention to
continue both this and the House survey also instituted
in 2004. Your suggestions as to the content and format
of these communication vehicles are welcomed. We also
hope to improve our member e-mail database in the
House of Delegates so that electronic communication
can be better utilized as needed in the future.
As we approach our deliberations this year, I encourage
each and every member to carefully consider how we
use our words. There will no doubt be many issues,
some perhaps more contentious than others, to be discussed
and acted upon. Let us do so openly and with the highest
degree of respect and regard for one another regardless
of our positions.
Recently my colleague and friend, Dwaila S. South,
M.D., who practices in a small, rural community, penned
a parody on our society’s growing reliance on
various and sundry “buzz phrases.” Her
article amused me but also pricked me to reflect upon
my own use of language, as I hope the following paraphrased
excerpt will show you.
The Shiftless Paradigm: Words We Had Just
as Soon Live Without
Lately I have kept a list of popular cultural
SOUND BITES that, like so much dried-out, leftover
Christmas turkey, I would be happy never to encounter
again. For instance, PARADIGM SHIFTS… I had
never heard the word “paradigm” until
the thing had gone and shifted on me. Every conference
speaker I have heard in the last couple of years finds
a way to work that phrase into his presentation. They
must think it sounds WAY COOL or something.
It’s time for these circuit riders to THINK
OUTSIDE THE BOX as they are always hounding us to
do. Someone should tell them that it is not POLITICALLY
CORRECT to refer to physicians as HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS,
especially when we are within earshot …or striking
distance.
And wouldn’t it delight you immensely if you
never had to hear or say the words TORT REFORM ever
again? We have BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT for so long
now that it seems like one fused word that just rolls
out of doctors’ mouths whenever we are asked
a ponderous question about the future of American
health care. But the WORST CASE SCENARIO would have
been if we had never made TORT REFORM a part of every
American’s vocabulary. Although each physician
HAS A LOT ON HIS PLATE, we must stop and ask ourselves
the question, “ARE WE THERE YET?”
All this YADA, YADA, YADA is making me dizzy. I blame
the MEDIA, of course, for making the words WEAPONS
OF MASS DESTRUCTION and SHOCK AND AWE a part of our
NEW AGE collective consciousness. They have also ruined
the T.V. news by starting the fad on every channel
of having unrelated tickertape strips of circulating
news bites around whoever happens to be on screen.
The only POSITIVE SPIN I can think of to attach to
this practice is that it likely goes unnoticed because
75 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with ATTENTION
DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER and can’t sit
still long enough to watch the news anyway.
All this MULTITASKING makes me tired. I hope that
reading this article has EMPOWERED you to start your
own list of tired phrases in the lexicon. Does this
make me a curmudgeon? If so I will wear the title
as a badge of honor. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
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