Euphemisms

by Jason Kaufman

Now has been a time of euphemisms. We depend on adjectives -- “these unpredictable times,” “these challenging times” -- where nouns -- “pandemic,” “disaster” -- exist. We know the virus’s name and family -- in quickly sequencing its RNA, scientists learned the arrangement of its molecular alphabet and its ancestral tree. We know it so well, yet choose to ignore its name. Perhaps it is more comforting for us to define the time by how we are feeling, a way to realize that our emotions are valid and shared.