Speaking quite frankly
Speaking quite frankly
I understand that words tend to change meaning over time. The word “great” used to refer to superiority (remember Alexander the Great?), but is now relegated to the description of mediocrity (or even below average performance).
After all, when little Johnny strikes out, the 2016 baseball coach says “great job.” It seems as though, particularly in this political season, both presidential candidates and members of the press have clutched on to their new favorite word “frankly” and have proceeded to grossly misuse it. Once upon a time, when a person reflected on his own shortcomings, he might utter the words, “Quite frankly, our team lost the game because I fumbled the ball.”
In those days, the word “frankly” was used to express humility and a humble attitude. Nowadays, the word has been converted from a shield to a sword. When a candidate says, “Quite frankly, my opponent is a blankety-blank,” I cringe. Furthermore, I ask myself why the speaker chose to interject “quite frankly” in the middle of his or her comment. Should we assume everything said up to that point was a lie, but with the words “quite frankly,” the speaker is suddenly now going to be truthful?
In closing, I hope this letter is published, and I grant the editor my permission to delete this last paragraph. Maybe my comments won’t even make the cut. To quote Rhett Butler, “Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn.”
James Donovan
Waikoloa