I've got to admit to a little sadistic pleasure that comes with this work.
Half my life ago, when I was either proofreading full-time or doing it a good bit on the side, I used to say I had one of the greatest jobs in the world. I'd get to tell people they were wrong for eight hours and they'd love me for it. Actually, the people I was telling were typesetters, and it was a joint effort in making them and our company look good. The sales and customer service people weren't always as pleased. But to the extent I was appreciated for pointing out other people's mistakes, that was nice.
Now the appreciation isn't always so obvious. The main feedback I get is repeat business -- not that there's anything wrong with that.
But occasionally I like to be the anonymous proofreader or editor who bursts some blowhard author's bubble.
Case in point: I'm proofreading a book on sales by a Big Real Estate Agent, or so he's promoted to be. I have no reason to doubt the bio.
So in one of the first chapters he coins the word sticktoitivity, as to be distinguished from stick-to-it-iveness. Whoop-de-do. He hopes to find his little pet word in the dictionary some day, as inelegant as it is. Let's just say it's not truthiness.
So, a few chapters later, I come across this sentence:
Both negativity and positivity (yes, I made up that word) are contagious.
"Positivity"? Mr. Real Estate Gazillionaire is a budding Shakespeare as well?
I think not.
A 5-second bit of research into my trusty Merriam-Webster's 11th shows that the word "positivity" first appeared in the English language a few years ago -- in, um, 1659.
OK, class. This book was "written with" someone else, that is, ghost-written. Don't you think a professional writer would know better? Shouldn't a copyeditor/in-house editor have checked this out? Am I gloating more than a little bit? Do I hope the author feels kinda foolish, if he even finds out about this?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Positivity? Come on, folks. Step up your game. Oh, I just made that phrase up.
Maybe it's the synesthesia in Moi rearing its head, but I have a physical aversion to certain words. Positivity is one of them. Although, we're gonna need a boat load of it real soon, so I may have to get over that. And your brother and his cronies? Can we get them to lock our congress up in the bathroom?
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