Brent M. Jones - Connected Events Matter

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Saying Problematic to label everything is problematic and a cop-out

Is saying the word “problematic'‘ has become problematic enough?

Compare that statement to saying: “Overusing the word problematic or misusing it detracts from the instances in which the word is doing actual work and can also overwhelm those trying to learn.”

The Webster’s Dictionary definition of “Problematic” is posing a problem that is difficult to solve or decide, an uncertain future, or something that is a question.

These comments about using the word problematic don’t point to anything particular, and using this word to identify a problem does not need to tell the actual situation. It is enough to say that using the word problem is problematic, and there is no need to explain why.

That said, this seems like a cop-out. Put another way; using that word is dodging, ducking, eluding, and avoiding the subject.

So yes, using the word problematic is a problem and the solution to explain why.