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Personal responsibility is understood as the obligation of the individual to be responsible for the consequences of his or her actions
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Language critics have given the negative prize »phrase of the year« to the word »personal responsibility«. The reason: »A legitimate term of great social importance is being hollowed out and ends up as a catchphrase for those politically responsible who inconsistently counteract the pandemic. Misinterpreted as a synonym for social responsibility and hijacked by anti-vaccination campaigners as a justification for egoism, "the operators of the network project" Floskelwolke ", Udo Stiehl and Sebastian Pertsch, explained their decision.
The term »climate neutral« (»A melodious label that does not always deliver what it promises on closer inspection«) and the formulation »left-yellow« (»The combination is a deliberate discredit against political competition in a new dimension "), the attribute" unpredictable "(in the second year of the pandemic, perceived truths would often have the upper hand over rational facts," if it is predictable about the favor of the voters ") and finally" instrument box "(" The composition suggests a nationwide common and uniform approach, which in practice, however, breaks down into country-specific idiosyncrasies «).
Since 2014, the language and media-critical project »Floskelwolke« has been drawing attention to »empty phrases, phrases and other questionable formulations in German-language news texts«.
One wants to »not denounce, but sensitize«, so co-operator Pertsch.
The number of suggestions for 2021 has decreased compared to the previous year.
While 178 suggestions were received for the first award of the "phrase of the year" exactly a year ago, at the beginning of 2022 there were only 72 terms and formulations.
The reasons are obvious, according to Pertsch: "In the first year, the pandemic caused numerous neologisms and empty phrases that also preoccupied journalism." This time, the suggestions relating to the pandemic have become fewer.
"After all, 10 of the 72 submissions related to vaccination."
In 2020, after the right-wing extremist attacks in Hanau, the word "individual cases" was chosen as "phrase of the year".
The language critics were bothered by the internal contradiction of the word and saw in it a trivialization of right-wing extremism.
nga / dpa