Re:Cargo Cult Science (1974)
by marcosdumay on Saturday December 31, 2016 @11:40AM
(#13291728)
I think the GP hit the nail on the head with the phrasing "anyone who uses jargon unnecessarily".
Jargon is meant to make communication clearer and faster between peers. If it is making it less clear instead, there is something very wrong.
I once worked at a company that had so much jargon they published a glossary on their Sharepoint site, and a list of TLA's (Including 'TLA' itself as the joke goes...it means 'Three Letter Acronym' for the uninitiated.
This is what I might call, 'treating the symptom of bad communication and not the cause'.
I think companies use Jargon to help instill a cult community on purpose. I just proposed the idea of creating such a glossary as you mentioned. I can't change a company with close to 100,000 people so I assimilate to get my pay check.
One company I was at had a jar in each conference room. When you used an internal name or acronym without first defining it, you had to put a $1 in the acronym jar. This was used to buy the team lunch. They had to abolish the policy as it was seen illegal to force such behavior. It worked very well while it lasted though.
I don't worry if they think I'm a pompous ass and continue to use jargon. Their opinion is only a reflection of their insecurity or fear of seeming dumb. And, they are being dumb.
People use new jargon I'm unfamiliar with all the time at work. I always ask them to clarify what they mean. That's how you get smart and knowledgable and don't live in fear.
The problem on the internet is when content leaks. Sometimes a piece of writing meant for peers gets shared to others and you get accused of using jargon. Or inside jokes.
In reality the problem is that at first you have a period when you're finding each other's common jargon. You think someone is a peer and you use jargon. If they seem confused, you explain.
But some people feign understanding for fear of seeming dumb. Then you are in trouble. You become the pompous ass with jargon and they learn nothing.
Maybe the answer is to never start with jargon and only upgrade if the other person turns out to be a peer.
But that often offends them if they are indeed a peer.