What's In A Name!
What's in a name? Well, it's an identifying feature - isn't that what nomenclature is all about? There can be pride and dignity in a name. Names also identify genders. Parents name their children often hoping that the name will miraculously bring good fortune to a child. There are certainly confusing names, names of groups or associations that actually bely their purpose (like Germany's National Socialist Party, for example). How about the Humane Society of Greater Atalanta, which feels it is practising humane treatment of animals to "put them down" rather than simply kill them.Then there are surnames whose holders are in professions which reflect the meaning of the surname, and that's a real treat, a pleasant surprise, a conversation-maker, an ice-breaker, isn't it? It's as puzzling a phenomenon to me as the number of times one encounters someone walking the family dog, and darned if there isn't a distinct familial resemblance between owner and dog. And why is that? I mean is that weird, or not? Darn right.
How about girls named, let's see - Faith, or Hope, or Charity? Are they forever destined to pursue lives that exemplify those virtues? Do they end up in utter misery, whacked out from constant expectations they can hardly meet? Do they end up hating their parents for that little indiscretion in anticipatory parenthood? I don't believe I've ever met anyone named Malice (Alice doesn't count) or Greed, or Envy, or Nasty.
So exactly what is in a name? Well, if it's a public institution one would expect the name to reflect the purpose of the institution. Right? Right. Let me tell you a little story about a nice country, geographically huge, population-sparse, blessed with location, (hemisphere-wise) ample fresh-water lakes, access to three of the world's great oceans, embarrassed with the natural riches of forests, arable land, oil and gas deposits, coal; a good manufacturing base, and a whole lot of other "goods".
The governing elected body of this country, a democratic, free-enterprise state proud of its high degree of social awareness to meet the needs of all its people, its commitment to free speech and ample opportunity for economic advancement is called, has always been called, the Government of Canada. That makes sense, doesn't it? Any of the recognized political parties of this country can run in a free and fair election, and if successful can form the governing council of the country. Called, what else: The Government of Canada.
Of course the election-successful party could be that of the Liberal party, the (new)Conservative party, the New Democratic Party, and possibly even the Green Party. Regardless, the election winner would form the next in a line of successive governments to govern the country, and all of them take upon themselves the nomenclature of the Government of Canada. In theory, once the new government is installed they become governing-neutral, that is they govern for the good of the country.
But of course that isn't entirely so, nor can it be so, since each of the parties which contest the election have a singular platform for governance that is informed by the political orientation of the party itself: liberal-, conservative-, social-democrat-, environmental-inspired. Plenty of overlap, of course, and one party isn't immune to the temptation to take upon itself a platform favoured by the electorate which has been advanced by another party to ensure its own electability becomes enhanced. That's astute cross-over.
Anything, it seems, can be seen to be fair in politics, and opportunism reigns supreme. So we know what's in a name, right? the Government of Canada is exactly that; the governing group, be it one or the other of the above-noted political parties, it becomes what we expect of them upon election. Oops, what's this? The Government of Canada is not really the Government of Canada? How can that be?
Evidently it has been decreed that it can be and it shall be. Henceforth, government departments have been advised, the formerly-named Government of Canada has been transformed in name, become "Canada's new government". Darn! sorry about that: all capitals. "Canada's New Government". Got it? What does that mean, Canada's new government? We know it's Canada's new government, for the Conservative party has won the last election, in a new minority government.
Well, all right, but that's just semantics. They're still the Government of Canada, right? Wrong, sorry about that, but you've got to get that right. The new Conservative government of the country has decided to re-brand, as it were, the name of the governing council. Go on! That's downright silly. If not clumsily partisan, an awkward juvenile co-opting of the neutrality of government nomenclature.
Now you've got it.
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, September 10, 2006
<< Home