Junk English

Ken’s Guide to the Bible presented a hilariously sacrilegious primer on the many rank inconsistencies to be mined from the “good book” by scripture and verse. Smith, who wrote Guide, now goes after Strunk and White’s favorite subject matter. While Junk English may not be The Elements of Style, it is a handy (and slim, at 142 pages) volume that’s particularly suited to outing the many weasel words coined by flacks and other brainwashers to convince your average schmo that garbage tastes good and is good for you, too. Many of the verbal constructs Smith busts in Junk English are brain-deadening mush, the kind we take for granted because we hear and read them foisted at us daily—business gobbledygook, disarming euphemisms, useless padding, crappy metaphors. The information provided here can help you form a concise defense against the constant onslaught of manipulative language. Need it? Yep.