I HATE acronyms!

Ok! It’s a fact.

I have a deep, deep, dark hatred for acronyms that is only superseded by my deep, dark hatred of prunes! Irrational maybe, but it’s a hatred based on two simple and very clear factors. The first is that, in whatever industry, and mine is no exception, acronyms are linguistic laziness. They obviate the need to write a definition in full, and, quite often, render a written piece incomprehensible, sacrificed on the altar of efficiency! CRAP (which stands for Content Reduction After Pontificating) I say!

The second is the delusional, and some would argue, perverse view that it makes the writer smarter or better informed than the audience. But what’s the point of that? Why wouldn’t you want someone to understand, first time, what you’re saying? In my experience, acronyms in articles, blogs, journals or technical communications are invariably accompanied by the expression meaning in full. So why not write the meaning in full in the first place? FUBAR….


So, I’m now the latest convert to the ‘I HATE Acronyms’ campaign, hopefully putting to the sword what most sane people thought had died off at the end of the last century. Military inspired, hence the proliferation in modern telecoms messaging, it has, up until the last 5-10 years, taken a back seat whilst email has taught us all to write more sparingly, but concisely and clearly.

But no! It’s making another powerful advance into the lingua franca of 21st century communications, fuelled by text messaging and ‘value-creating’ IT people who believe an acronym is a gold plated hand-rail to the top floor of celebrity (notoriety?).

And If this is all true, I’d like to remind the current generation of indolent authors that yesterday, the 2nd May 2011, amid all the TV hugging news about Osama Bin Laden, marked the nadir of ill-fated acronyms. When a US commentator refers to Al-Qaeda as AQ in a radio interview, you know that it won’t be very long before there is some form of legislation that restrains their use. It will be the first minor infringement (actually more of an inconvenience) of ‘freedom of speech’ but other than hanging that guy up by his toes until he promises never to say those initials again, I can see no other way.

Hate is a very powerful word, but what I’m promoting here is the sanctity of the written word and the casting into oblivion of idiots who think they are being clever by putting their readers on the back foot.

And, to emphasise the point, it took me 10 seconds to uncover the accompanying list of HATE acronyms. Read them and weep. Not only are they irritating, but they encourage the compilation of hitherto un-connectable words.

HAGD!!!!!!!

Hackers Against Tyranny Everywhere
Haunted America Tours Eastern
Hellenic Alliance to Terminate Exploitation
Harness for Algorithm Testing and Evaluation
Highly Artistically Talented Enterprises
Health And The Environment
Hierarchical Approach To Efficient
Hackers Against Tyranny Everywhere
Hilarious At The End
Halloween At The Evening
Hazardous and Trace Emissions
Heavenly Angels Terminate Existence
Herbs Against The Effects
He’s About To Expose
Hiam Awad Title Economic
High Ambient Temperature Epoxy
Highly Artistically Talented Enterprises
Hispanic Association for Theological Education
Hitler and The End
Holiday and Travel Expo

Posted by Simon D