What word is all the rage? “Transparency.” But is it always viable?
Don’t you cringe now when you hear the phrase “defining moment” (GAG), or “he tried to change the subject” (BARF) from the mainstream news media, or “he just doesn’t get it” (HEAVE). Now the latest word that is making its way into the ears — and stomachs — of people who react strongly to overused phrases or concepts is here: it’s the word “transparency.”
I live in a condominium in North Park and during a recent verbal battle at a Homeowners Association meeting (and you think talks between Iran and the U.S. are difficult??) one member started angrily talking about the previous board’s “transparency,” or alleged lack of it. The idea of people who — until recently — used the word “transparency” was that government needed to be more open about its actions, more things should be on the record, and that it is no longer viable — or acceptable — for ruling elites who have the power to hide their cards from the public. The reason: they’re often hiding them because they are involved in wrongdoing, or things that will get them in trouble, or things that will make them look bad.
But note that the operative word here is “more.”
Today, the word “transparency” is being used constantly, such as when a condo association member suggests somethings were done in secret — or Wednesday when President Barack Obama said he didn’t want to release the litigated torture photos. Critics accused him of violating his call for transparency; he argued that it was in the national interest NOT to release them (even though most experts believe he will eventually be forced to do just that).
The reality is: the bulk of people who in recent years called for “transparency” weren’t usually suggesting it as some kind of an absolute.
Read it in its entirety.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.