Guest Column
Speak Softly by Matthew Wharton , GGCS , MG
Growing up I was a big fan of the late George Carlin . He and Richard Pryor were my two favorite comedians . Carlin and Pryor were known for their liberal use of profanity . My mother certainly did not approve of their language , so I had to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to watch them on HBO .
Speaking of language , Carlin had a skit that has stuck with me for decades . He talked about how the use of “ soft language ,” or euphemisms , concealed the truth . He said most Americans had difficulty dealing with or accepting the truth , so they invented a soft language to protect themselves .
To explain , he gives the glaring example of how over multiple generations the medical condition known as shell shock during World War I became battle fatigue during World War II . In the 1950s , during the Korean War , the same condition was renamed operational exhaustion and then we finally landed on post-traumatic stress disorder by the Vietnam War .
His point ? With each iteration , the severity of the condition is massaged to not appear to be as severe as what it really is : the complete shutdown of a nervous system due to the extreme overload placed upon it in combat . Through the years , we have learned that you do not have to go to war to suffer from PTSD . By now , you are starting to see where I am going .
George made other jokes about everyday things , asking audiences when did toilet paper become bathroom tissue , car crashes become automobile accidents and doctors become health care providers ? I can tell you , the first time I ever saw the words plant protectant in print I almost spit out ( sorry , involuntarily expectorated ) my coffee . I will say , I spent a good number of years agreeing with George , but they say we mellow with age , and I have now come to see this another way .
… the vast majority of John and Jane Smiths in the world think of only one thing when they hear the word pesticide — DDT .
All of us in the business have faced decades of public scrutiny for the perceived misuse of chemicals , fertilizers , and water . We have made tremendous strides in recent years , stepping up to spread the message of how we are responsible stewards of the land .
So , what is the problem , you ask ? I am willing to wager the vast majority of John and Jane Smiths in the world think of only one thing when they hear the word pesticide — DDT . And when they hear the word chemical , they are most likely thinking of a skull and crossbones symbol .
If we want the public to understand our use of plant protectants is done responsibly and we use far less than the public believes , we probably should stop saying the words [ pesticides and chemicals ] all together . If you give an interview in print , on air or online , saying “ we do not use chemicals in an irresponsible manner ,” it probably doesn ’ t help the cause in any way , because the only thing the public heard you say is “ we use chemicals .”
If we are going to be successful in changing public perception , then we must adopt the same strategy George was making fun of all those years ago . Those items …. should be referred to as plant health care , and the products [ referenced ] should consist of fungicides , insecticides , wetting agents , plant growth regulators , plant health activators , plant protectants and even turf stress reducers .
A good friend of mine told me he had an English teacher growing up that said words are tools and what is most important is how you use them . I think this is a great message and one all of us understand , because we are at our best when we have a good toolbox . Please let us put those tools to work for us and get our message across .
Sure , it will take a little getting used to . But if we want the world to understand we care for the earth in a responsible manner , using science and an integrated approach of best management practices to provide a sustainable environment for the enjoyment of our clientele , we cannot go on using antiquated words .
And while we are at it , can we please stop posting pictures of rooms full of pallets when your Early Order arrives ? Again , the public only knows what they think , and what they think when they see stacks and stacks of … well , you know the word .
Matthew Wharton , CGCS , MG is the superintendent at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte , NC and past president of the Carolinas GCSA .
Editor ’ s Note : This column originally appeared in Golf Course Industry magazine . We thought the message of the importance of language when communicating with the public about pesticides was important to share . It is reprinted with permission .
MLP Newsline | Fall 2022 13