NEW NONSENSE WORD
Start with the old-fashioned term "blather" which once meant an unnecessary, unneeded and unwanted sequence of words strung together to exercise the ear of hearers without supplying any edification whatsoever.
Then, pick up a "swatch" - another word from the time when a tailor or seamstress selected a piece of fine material to let you sample what your new suit or dress might look like when done.
Now, place the swatch just after the blather and give vocal expression to what you see there: "Blatherswatch!"
The term applies aptly to the current format of news panels and discussion goups on TV. So often it seems that the speakers are allowed to set to set forth a bit of blather concerning the general nature of the topic to be discussed. This is done carefully to leave doors, tangent lines of thought, other paths and new definitions open just a bit. He or she will, then, insert little swatches of useful information - just enough to titilate and tease but not enough to oppose anyone entirely. I often find it difficult to match the proper swatch to the correct batch of blather.
Far too many of the news shows done with groups have become little more than shouting matches. All persons present talk at the same time once they have been unchained by the Ring Master. Politeness, fair play and mutual considertion went out the window a decade or so ago. These verbal free-for-alls, which might also be called emcee killers, may well be among those forces driving viewers to attempt to seek out something – any thing, for that matter, in cable land or elsewhere that might be better fare. You may remember most of these news shows as being of half-hour duration. They actually were to run the full hour but with so many talking at the same time, they run short by at least half of the alloted time. Such resulting cleared areas are promptly filled with commericals or promotionals.
Blatherswatch is big and growing steadily. It lacks certain elements of quality, I'm sure, but it is with us and it does, in some ways, come closer, perhaps, to the real thing - the politician on the campaign trail years ago, at the rear end of a Pullman car harranging the people! Or, today, it might be a learned correspondent just back from his or her "tour of duty" of a week or more to one of our real or potential war-torn areas. They, too, have learned the art of blathering while dropping in small swatches of worthy information, just enough to spice up the mix and make viewers think something worthy might follow, if they stick with it.
The mutating, modifying, media is a frothy part of our modern day life.
A.L.M. January 2, 2003 [c474wds]
