Anyone who follows the news has probably heard we had what was, even for Chicago, a major killing spree here this week. I don't want to make light of the seriousness or tragedy of what happened - 6 innocent people and the gunman himself were dead when it was all over.
The gunman was an ex-employee of the small company where the bloodbath occurred. Apparently this wasn't absolutely clear in the first wave of coverage.
The AP headline that was issued immediately carried this headline:
quote:Disgruntled worker opens fire at Chicago warehouse; 7 dead, including gunman, authorities say
This got me wondering, not for the first time, when and how the press decided that "disgruntled" was the word of choice to use to describe some person who takes a gun and blows away a bunch of coworkers.
According to the dictionary, "disgruntled" means "ill-humored or discontented."
Seems to me that underpaid teachers working for their 2nd year in a row without a contract could be described accurately as "disgruntled." A disgruntled worker might have a lousy attitude, leave work early, or badmouth the boss.
Now, to be fair, the term "disgruntled" was dropped from coverage by the next day. My question is why was it used at all? Why is it ever used in cases like this?
[ December 09, 2004, 12:59 PM: Message edited by: sndrake ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I'm very happy in my job. Does that mean that I am "gruntled?"
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
What are gruntles? Why does the removal of them cause discontent?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I guess you could argue that someone who goes on a shooting spree is disgruntled in the extreme. I think it would be more fun if they used "malcontent". Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
A better word, Miffed.
Peeved? Slightly piqued? Not quite as happy?
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
un-ecstatic?
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Here's one:
Guy having a really bad day. (and, yeah, most if not all of these are by guys.)
Farmgirl: disgruntled belongs to the same "club" and "nonplussed" and "nonpareil."
Not to mention that other word "escalator" - escalate usually means to intensify or go up (didn't use the dictionary here, be kind). Yet "escalators" go both "up" and "down."
Hint - in some of these cases, we have the French to blame - or ourselves for partially adopting their words.
Posted by Equality 7-2521 (Member # 5586) on :
I agree. I think that to be willing to mow down a bunch of people and then yourself you've got to be a little beyond disgruntled. So, imo, disgruntled just doesn’t work. Though a few other words come to mind which might be suitable: evil, hateful, psychotic or malevolent.
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
Part of the problem is that some AP writers use words like disgruntled to sound a little more important without really increasing the reading level of their piece. Unfortunately, they misuse words, which muddies the English language.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote: CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -- Disgruntled soldiers complained to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday about long deployments and a lack of armored vehicles.
Note: Rumsfeld faced a roomful of "disgruntled" soldiers and did not get shot at.
I hope this heralds a new era in the appropriate usage of the word "disgruntled" in press coverage.
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
Perhaps wigged-out would be sufficient?
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
"Crazy a** m*f* opens fire..."
Works for me! The use of disgruntled as an adjective for someone who goes on a shooting spree has always kinda irked me too, sndrake.
space opera
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
You know Space Opera, I would love, just once, to hear a serious news show open with that! I'm sure the FCC would spoil everything, but it sure would be funny!
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote:"Crazy a** m*f* opens fire..."
Works for me, too!
It's interesting, though, that long experience with the usual media usage of the word conjured up a picture of Rumsfeld diving for cover.
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
It's a strange thing but newspapers and other media outlets often "downplay" incidents. Maybe it's some half-hearted desire to not be sensationalistic...
Just think of how many times they use the word "accident" when they mean crash. Disgruntled for flipped-out and gun-wielding.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
quote: It's a strange thing but newspapers and other media outlets often "downplay" incidents.
WHAT?! I think it's quite the opposite... They turn every little thing into BIG NEWS! In this case, they probably don't really know what disgruntled means, that's all...
And I've seen news on Romanian, French, English, European (Euronews), Canadian and American newspapers & TV channels, and I must say that the Canadian and American ones make even the smallest thing look much more spectacular than the average European news. It's like everything's a show... It really bothers me sometimes... And apparently we're starting to learn from that! Sheesh... Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
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