I had to rent a truck this weekend and, while I was standing in line, I saw this product that's supposed to help you lift heavy items. The slogan on the product was "virtually makes your load seem lighter." Later in the day, I heard an ad for Target where they urged you to visit their "virtual website."
Now, if we go with the colloquial definition of virtual, the product slogan is either simply redundant (it almost makes your load give the impression of being lighter?) or an outright contradiction, depending on how you see it.
As for the website… well it's either a website or it isn't. I'm pretty sure there's nothing virtual about it. And if they're somehow pushing some virtual reality content (the probable reason "virtual" is now a buzzword), then that's some pretty ambitious content for a discount department store website.
I'm not sure HOW virtual became such a buzzword, but I'm pretty sure this is the wrong word for whatever they're trying to say.
*They say that if you have to explain your joke, it probably wasn't worth it in the first place, but hey, who am I to let conventional wisdom stop me? Since we're SO quick to jump to conclusions about race/color references in these oh-so-enlightened days, allow me to assure everyone that "the new black" reference above is based on the fashion victim concept of "[insert color here] is the new black", an idea based on the concept that black is always a fashionable color. (It would seem that, since there's always a new color being described as the new black, this would be a contradictory idea as well, but who am I to argue with fashion designers, right?)
Now, if we go with the colloquial definition of virtual, the product slogan is either simply redundant (it almost makes your load give the impression of being lighter?) or an outright contradiction, depending on how you see it.
As for the website… well it's either a website or it isn't. I'm pretty sure there's nothing virtual about it. And if they're somehow pushing some virtual reality content (the probable reason "virtual" is now a buzzword), then that's some pretty ambitious content for a discount department store website.
I'm not sure HOW virtual became such a buzzword, but I'm pretty sure this is the wrong word for whatever they're trying to say.
*They say that if you have to explain your joke, it probably wasn't worth it in the first place, but hey, who am I to let conventional wisdom stop me? Since we're SO quick to jump to conclusions about race/color references in these oh-so-enlightened days, allow me to assure everyone that "the new black" reference above is based on the fashion victim concept of "[insert color here] is the new black", an idea based on the concept that black is always a fashionable color. (It would seem that, since there's always a new color being described as the new black, this would be a contradictory idea as well, but who am I to argue with fashion designers, right?)
Comments
Sorry...couldn't resist one of my favorite quotes of all time...
Q
It's the PERFECT quote here.
Chris