Transcendental bollocks: the new hocus-pocus … or the rise of hyper-garbage

Don’t you think it strange that someone you never heard of with not the slightest talent - just a desire to make a fool of themselves in a show you’d never want to watch - is called a “star”.

Yet such was the case when yesterday I was ploughing my way through my copy of the free paper, Metro. It referred to a participant in the exceptionally nasty TV show Big Brother.

I call this linguistic inflation and it’s everywhere.

It’s what they used to call hocus-pocus: words used to make things seem more important (and therefore valuable) than they are.

Take the new army of the overpaid. Senior bean-counters have become Chief Financial Officers. Managing directors are now Chief Executive Officers. The closest parallel I can think of is the uniformed commissionaires who used to stand outside cinemas – such a joke they were the staple of cartoonists.

Or take this new thing you’re aware of – even an old fogey like me is aware of – where you point your phone at a tag and find out about something.

It’s been around for quite a while but only now is it becoming really important as it depends on enough smart phones being around – with enough people who know how to use them (count me out for the moment; I’m just learning).

But if you were to believe something I read last night this is so much more. It means I can “engage in a richer, more immersive experience than was previously possible in today's highly efficient commerce environment.”

It sounds like one of those dunk the whole body baptism jobs, don't you think? But with a little less general ecstasy.

I’m actually planning to test it myself for something I sell, but I’m pretty sure that sort of tripe does more harm than it helps.