It’s been a long time between blog posts. I’ve been motivated by the sheer awfulness of the following sentences (which I was unlucky to see on the ABC website, 28 March 2021).
“What is the chance of a flood event impacting my property within the lifetime of my mortgage? I think that really does add immediacy to the discourse when we’re communicating flood risk.”
The skin-crawling pomposity of this stuff is extraordinary. This is what I think it means:
“Mortgagees must ask, ‘what is the chance of my property being flooded?'”
“Flood event” – why not simply “flood”? “Event” is totally redundant. “Impacting my property” – is the threat a flood or a meteorite? “Add immediacy” – what!!?? “The discourse” – well, hello Jean-Paul Sartre.
The stench of these sentences will be with me for some time. I apologise for repeating them here, and hope you can learn to forget.