Mary Facilitator

PANELISTS:
Ms. Jenee Medrozo Editor-in-Chief of the Manila Bulletin
Ms. Camil Cuenca House Speaker
Dr. Jemia Estrada Professor/Head in the Department of Surgery in Chinese General
Hospital
Ms. Jernica Torres COO of the La Carmela de Boracay Resort Hotels
http://privatelibrary.typepad.com/the_private_library/2010/12/obfuscationbureaucratic-and-academic-at-the-private-library.html
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What is clutter?
Why people use clutter?
Advantages and Disadvantages
Effects of clutter.

(center)
Mary: In this specific moment in time, a certain subject will duly undergo the
systematic process of dissection through which our panelists for today will
dismember and vindicate ideas in order to disseminate its harmful repercussions or
defend its importance. (pause) Simply, today, our topic will be discussed by our
panelistsits subtopics and effects included.
Notice the difference of the last two sentences Ive said. The 2 nd was much easier to
understand, wasnt it? And the first contained the earlier said certain subject
which we should all refer to as Clutter.
(close lights, intro) (Mary, sit down sa gitna. Panelists, take yar seats)
Mary: Good afternoon everyone and welcome to MTV: The Clutter Dissection!
Now, let me introduce the panelists for this episodes discussion.
The COO of the La Carmela de Boracay Resort Hotels, Ms. Jernica Torres.
Professor/Head in the Department of Surgery in Chinese General Hospital , Ms.
Jemia Estrada.
Editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulletin, Ms. Jenee Medrozo.
And last but not the least, House Speaker, Ms. Camil Cuenca.
Mary: Since were all in different fields and some terms may technically be different
in meaning between fields, lets define clutter first. What is clutter? Before we hear
what the panelists believe, let me all show you a video with the usage of clutter.
***close lights***
[video 1] wear tux
Benuu: Sometimes one is forced to consider the possibility that affairs are being
conducted in a manner which, all things being considered and making all possible
allowances is, not to put too fine a point on it, perhaps not entirely straightforward.
(in other words)
Benuu: You are lying.
[end]
***open lights***
Mary: That was by Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Minister. So lets get the panelists
opinions. Ms Medrozo, what is clutter to you?
Jenee: Clutter, I believe, is a tool. A very fancy one at that, but nevertheless, it could
be very fatal as it is a widely used tool in deception. In my field, journalism, clutter is
applicable twice. First, it is used to decorate an articleto elaborate.

Mary: Yes, I believe its widely used in the feature section.

Jenee: Right you are. Second and the unlikely one, clutter could be used to
manipulate people into believing what the author wants them to believe. Journalists
are prohibited to write an article selectively wherein he chooses what to put and
omit. Hence, he uses his strongest toolclutter as verbal camouflage. Verbal
camouflage is like giving food to a blind man. The blind man would be grateful to
what is given to him but once he asks if the food is clean or not, should he believe in
the answer or not since he doesnt see real thing?
Mary: Thats a very good take on the usage of clutter. Verbal camouflage isnt only
used by the media, though. As a House Speaker, Ms. Cuenca, what can you say? Is
there verbal camouflage in politics?
Camil: Well I cant deny there isnt but in politics, I believe clutter isnt verbal
camouflage as much as it is the use of political jargon. Using political jargon is
common amongst colleagues in specific fields, but the acronyms, language and lingo
spoken in these circles is typically not so well known outside the internal
organization.
Mary: Some conflicts may start because for the use of these jargons. To avoid such
conflicts, dont you think the use of jargons should be avoided?
Camil: Well, in communicating with the public, yes, definitely. But lets not forget, in
order as to not make conflict inside the courtroom or meeting between officials,
protocols have to be followed. It cant be avoided, really.
Mary: I see. Politics definitely isnt the only field with the usage of jargons. Im
absolutely sure the medical field has its own fair share, doesnt it, Dr. Estrada? And
does clutter serve as verbal camouflage in the said field?
Jemia: To your first question: needless to sayobviously. Some of my students make
theses that are filled with gobbledygook.
Jenee: Excuse me, wait. Am I the only one who doesnt know what gobbledygook is?
Jernica: Never heard of the term.
Camil: I have no idea.
Mary: Perhaps Dr. Estrada would be kind enough to tell us what the term means.
Jemia: Oh, forgive me. Gobbledygook is any text containing jargon or especially
complex English that results to the material being hard to understand or
incomprehensible. Simply, its a cluster of clutter. And to answer your second
question: yes. Clutter could serve as verbal camouflage. There are words that have
more than one definition. And these could mislead a listener unless the speaker is
specifically certain. But if he is deliberately misleading the listener, that is
equivocation.
Jernica: Isnt equivocation qualified as a logical fallacy?
Jemia: Yes, it is.
Mary: (to the audience) Fallacy is a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.
Ms. Torres, what do you have to say in the matter?
Jernica: Clutters literal meaning is a collection of thingsin this case, wordslying
about in an untidy massa disorder. In the business world, jargons are vastly spread.
When a jargon is properly used or said to a colleague who understands perfectly
what this jargon means, then the said jargon should not be considered clutter. Its
where its supposed to be and does not create a mess.
Camil: Yes, I agree. Its like using legalese on courtroom people who perfectly
understands the language. To people outside the courtroom, it would seem as
clutter.

Jemia: Like earlier, I use gobbledygook all the time when I talk with fellow
professors. But since you were not aware of the term, it seemed like clutterlike I
could have used a simpler term.
Jenee: So jargons would be only considered as clutter if listeners or readers, in my
case, know what they mean.
Mary: Would that sum up what you were saying, Ms. Torres?
Jernica: Thats exactly what I meant.
Mary: Ok, so weve come to an agreement that clutter is used in verbal camouflage; hence, it is
an instrument in equivocation which brings us back to Ms. Medrozos definition of clutter: a tool
used in deception. Lets find out what the effects of the usage of clutter after we come back.
***********COMMERCIAL********************
(in an intellectual discussion)
Student 1: Look at this eraser. According to our empirical(?) knowledge, this is an eraser. But what defines the
eraserness of the eraser?
Student 2: Before becoming an eraser, it was a tree. Before the tree, the seed. Hence the seed is the eraser. It
is one of its causes. If everything in this world has a cause, there must be that one definite -- final cause that
which everything originated from. This is the uncaused cause, the prime mover.
(...) - silence
Student 3: HUWAW! OH Jacket! Give jacket, yalla.
other: Wooohooo~
Student 4: Or better yet...you know, Colgate, dude. Here's some. Try it sometime.

***********COMMERCIAL********************
(intro)
[video 2]
Jescel: Oh, Parent, at present deemed to be domiciled in the stratosphere, May Your name be

established and maintained on the highest level of sacrosanctity, May You be allotted and obtain an area
of control with appropriate areas of administration, May Your policy be fully executed on a geo-political
basis as well as in the normal stratospherical sphere of influence....

[end]
Mary: Does any of you know what that meant?
Jenee: Thats literary gibberish!
Camil: It didnt make any sense.
Jemia: That, my friends, is an example of gobbledygook. The incomprehensible kind.
Jernica: What did it mean, Ms. Meneses?
Mary: Lets watch this next video to find out.
[video 2]
Jescel: Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;. Thy kingdom come;. Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven

[end]
Mary: That first video was an excerpt from Bruce Rogers book: You Can Say That
Again!: A Fun Approach to Sounding Better When You Open Your Mouth to Speak. The
second, obviously from Our Father. For your information, no one actually uses the
first. It just gives us a huge what-if and is very much inappropriate. Dear panelists,
what do you think of the videos?
Jernica: May I just say that if prayers or the Bible itself is written in that extravagant
manner, I wouldnt understand what Im supposed to believe in.
Mary: Yes. With that thought on the table, lets us now discuss the effects that
clutter may create. Ms. Torres, please expand your thoughts on the given topic.
Jernica: Well, as I implied, when one doesnt understand what one has to
understand, how is one supposed to act next?
Jenee: Thats very philosophical. But you do have a great point. Once you use clutter
when you address the public or someone who isnt supposed to understand you,
normally, they wouldnt be able to comprehend what you were or trying to say.

Jemia: Yes, I agree. Hence, the complications, the controversies.

Mary: Yes, normally, of course. Ms. Cuenca, as a House Speaker, what do you think
would the usage of clutter result to?
Camil: Well, its certainly wouldnt be much of a help to the Philippines, who is
aiming for globalization.
Mary: But dont you think the usage of clutter makes us more globally competent?
Camil: Actually, its the use of the English language is what makes us globally
competent, not the use of clutter. Clutter may be useful at times but it isnt a
necessity.
Mary: Nicely put. Panelists, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter at
hand. Now, I believe, people from the audience would like to ask some questions.
Question 1: Good afternoon. I was just wondering: are there any advantages in using
clutter?
(answer this on ur own)
Question 2: Are there any tips you could give us to help us reduce clutter?
Question 3: Would there be a time wherein there would be no clutter in the words we
speak?
Mary: Thank you, select people from the audience who asked questions and thank
you panelists, once again for sharing your opinions and your knowledge on the topic.
Clutter is truly a unique topic to dissect. It is one of those ironic forces of nature. It is
avoidable but inevitable. In the end, we should just keep one thought in mind. The
more mess we make, the more we have to tidy up. Im Mary Meneses and this is
MTV.
The disadvantage of jargon is that, aside from sounding pompous, it is not as clear or
direct as simpler substitutes

ABLEPSY

Blindness

CACHEXY (kakeksiya) Malnutrition

CORYZA (korayza)

A cold

Cephalgia or cephalic=headache