Now you’ve really done it : my former well-heeled NPO, and previous government employers would like to have a private word, doctor lol.
I also think the gap between “clear eyed diagnoses” and soft consultations (in lieu of actual targets) is where a lot of hope for concrete progress is lost, and so for many of us, declarations and white papers generate at best a nod and an eye roll.
I agree that calling it all BS is a mistake. And I have sat in negotiation rooms with Member States of international organizations to know how difficult it is to reach agreement and what a negotiation scar is. BUT, one thing is a Resolution, resulting from hundreds of countries having to agree on matter that impact their economies, their trade, their populations. And one thing is language that we all come up with in daily jobs as burocrats of public or private agencies. The latter language needs to be understood by PEOPLE without any particular skill. Else we are loosing 7.9 billion folks out there and pat ourselves in the back with all our Phds and MSc and MPH and what not.
You hit the bulls-eye with this. There is so much of this bullshit to be found in formal statements of all kinds. I think especially of corporate insistence that "we take our customers' safety/privacy/satisfaction very seriously" or too many universities' statements of "highest priorities". I assume there is a whole industry of marketing and p.r. people who create these bullshit statements.
This was simply mah-vuh-luss, something I've long sensed but could not articulate. You have done that, laid a course through the fog. Dare I say "sustainable"? Not only a keeper for future reference for me, but to be forwarded to colleagues experiencing similar frustration. T-h-a-n-k y-o-u.
Comment from a colleague with whom I shared the piece:
"Yup the author hit the nail on the head for why I can’t stand reading, even talking to some of our closest allies. I can't stand the language. It deters, doesn't advance."
Now you’ve really done it : my former well-heeled NPO, and previous government employers would like to have a private word, doctor lol.
I also think the gap between “clear eyed diagnoses” and soft consultations (in lieu of actual targets) is where a lot of hope for concrete progress is lost, and so for many of us, declarations and white papers generate at best a nod and an eye roll.
Noted — I’ll await the invitation with my legal counsel present 😎
I agree that calling it all BS is a mistake. And I have sat in negotiation rooms with Member States of international organizations to know how difficult it is to reach agreement and what a negotiation scar is. BUT, one thing is a Resolution, resulting from hundreds of countries having to agree on matter that impact their economies, their trade, their populations. And one thing is language that we all come up with in daily jobs as burocrats of public or private agencies. The latter language needs to be understood by PEOPLE without any particular skill. Else we are loosing 7.9 billion folks out there and pat ourselves in the back with all our Phds and MSc and MPH and what not.
Fully agreed, Tania! And that is exactly where your recent essay comes in with clarity:
https://taniacernuschi.substack.com/p/public-health-is-selling-efficacy?r=ap2ly&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
You hit the bulls-eye with this. There is so much of this bullshit to be found in formal statements of all kinds. I think especially of corporate insistence that "we take our customers' safety/privacy/satisfaction very seriously" or too many universities' statements of "highest priorities". I assume there is a whole industry of marketing and p.r. people who create these bullshit statements.
Thank you, Judith! Glad you like my thoughts and of course, I couldn’t agree more! The buzzword game is everywhere…
It seems you are looking at it from 180 degrees around to get there: global oral health
That’s many small steps for all men making a giant leap for mankind!
This was simply mah-vuh-luss, something I've long sensed but could not articulate. You have done that, laid a course through the fog. Dare I say "sustainable"? Not only a keeper for future reference for me, but to be forwarded to colleagues experiencing similar frustration. T-h-a-n-k y-o-u.
Glad that my writing expressed what you felt and witnessed all along!
Comment from a colleague with whom I shared the piece:
"Yup the author hit the nail on the head for why I can’t stand reading, even talking to some of our closest allies. I can't stand the language. It deters, doesn't advance."