There is a word in the English language that gets used all too often. And that word is "facility." It strips all the color from our language. Prison, gym, dump, school, church, office, warehouse ... all frequently get turned into "facilities.'
If you're a fan of Will Strunk and EB White's little book then you know that they hate this word as well. It's a generic word that is seeping into our language from plasticized business jargon (ie, "After finalizing the TQM report I'm going to tour the new exercise facility.")
I am against this word.
And so it was very sad when I noticed a billboard for the Zoo while idling in my car at 6th & Sprague. The billboard has a huge picture of a tiger looking right at you, and something about inviting you to see "high definition reality." It is a good advertisement and makes me want to go see the Zoo.
But then, snuck in at the bottom of the billboard is the phrase: "A Facility of Metro Parks Tacoma."
Um ... SayWA? It's a facility? This cool place with lions and polar bears and penguins and sharks is a facility? Talk about stripping away the English language! It's a zoo! It has llamas and otters and a yak, and you're trying to call it a facility! It's a zoo! Call it a zoo! Call it a Zoo and Aquarium! But don't call it a facility! The "facility," if you must have one, is the pumphouse for the aquarium, the feeding shed for the wolves, and the ticket kiosk at the gate. The facility is what I use after hours of being entranced by the wildlife you have at the Zoo. It is not the Zoo.
I would suggest on the next billboard simply "Run by Metro Parks Tacoma" or "Operated by Metro Parks Tacoma" or heavens-to-betsy "A Zoo of Metro Parks Tacoma."
But you're killing me with your fancy facility.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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4 comments:
great post, Erik. :)
Thanks for the thought-provoking post Erik. Your points are well-taken. The words facilities and services don't do justice to the community treasures that make up the Metro Parks Tacoma system...
The fact that you even noticed the tagline tells me the concept of building a shared identity for the unbelievably diverse Metro Parks offerings. We encompasses more than 2,700 acres of parks and open space, including shoreline property, formal and community gardens, public piers, more than 55 miles of paths and walkways, community centers, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, neighborhood play and spray grounds, athletic complexes, skate parks, a championship golf course, the Point Defiance Boathouse/Marina complex, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Tacoma Nature Center, W.W. Seymour Conservatory and two nationally accredited zoological facilities - Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, and a programming base that ranges from a partnered youth sports program with the Boys and Girls Clubs (NYSA-Northwest Youth Sports Alliance - engaging more than 5,000 kids in team sports annually)and other targeted youth programs like SPARX (after school club activities and mentorship in Tacoma's 11 middle schools), to special events like Ethnic Fest, outdoor concerts and movies and our partnered presentation of Showcase Tacoma with the School of the Arts...(this is just the tip of the iceberg...but since it's becoming a long, run-on listing, I'll stop now and take this opportunity to plug the metroparkstacoma.org website for a more comprehensive look at who we are and what we stand for, :)
So why, you or others might think, does it matter whether the community knows these are all part of the Metro Parks System? A comprehensive look really makes clear how import MPT is to the social, economic and environmental well-being of Tacoma.
Look forward to reading your creative thoughts about this.
should have proofed before posting. please forgive the typos, it's late, but I was afraid I would forget to respond if I didn't do it tonight before heading to bed! :)
Nancy,
I love Metro Parks! My dad, my girlfriend, and I spent 6 months and went to every single Metro Parks ... facility. :) From the Headquarters to the Zoo to Northwest Trek to every pocket park. If you operated it, we saw it.
It's just the word "facility" that drives me crazy. That's the nerdy English major in me coming out.
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