There are so-called “sovereign citizens” who believe just that. They believe that money became imaginary in the 30s and that the government has secret billion-dollar funds for everyone (hence Social Security Numbers) that we can write checks on to pay our bills. They’ve never seen a dollar from such funds, but it’s a very convenient way to rationalize not paying your bills — until you’re caught.
The problem with euphemisms is that they wear out and take on the same connotation as the word they were intended to sanitize. It’s like taking a water-soaked sponge out of a bucket of water and replacing it with a brand new one. The water always wins.
I remember when it was considered a precautionary measure to have your tonsils removed even if they weren’t giving you any trouble. Then the medical profession learned more about unnecessary invasive procedures and the risk of infection. A few months back I had a couple of blisters on my foot and rather than puncture them myself, I went to Urgent Care so they could do it the right way, whatever “right” is now.
“Right” turned out to be “nothing.” They didn’t do anything other than prescribe some antibiotics should they show signs of infection.
Not having four teeth removed unnecessarily sounds like prudent dental procedure to me.
Too bad. I wasn’t one of his bosom buddies, but a mutual friend introduced me to him. I think he went on to be quite successful in the comics business.
There are so-called “sovereign citizens” who believe just that. They believe that money became imaginary in the 30s and that the government has secret billion-dollar funds for everyone (hence Social Security Numbers) that we can write checks on to pay our bills. They’ve never seen a dollar from such funds, but it’s a very convenient way to rationalize not paying your bills — until you’re caught.