Every so often, we get a reminder that even smart people can be stupid. It can be amusing to see, or frustrating, or perhaps no one even notices. But we’re allowed to notice, and harmlessly mock if appropriate, as long as we don’t take ourselves too seriously in the process.
Pronouncing “Tenacious” (and Knowing What It Means)
Picture it, a local news broadcast has reached the segment listing events happening around town that weekend. But then comes a pesky word. I honestly do not remember the full name of the group or what they were doing that weekend, but dang, the woman reading the list had no idea what to do with “Tenacious.” That word was part of the group’s name, but no, this poor woman didn’t know what it was and tried twice, unsuccessfully, to read it off the teleprompter. She knew she had it wrong (really wrong), but after two tries just pretended she had said it correctly and moved on to the next group on the list.
Obviously, this local newscaster has met certain job qualifications and has some amount of education, and she also has some experience reading the news on live TV. But none of her job skills could help her that day. One word was all she needed to stumble.
Making Mistakes and Being Human
It’s funny that I cannot remember the group or event, but I cannot forget the mistake. I wonder if the newscaster figured it out later, or if someone told her (tə-ˈnā-shəs) so she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Looking forward, I’m betting it will happen again some day, with a different word but the same confusion and pronunciation failure.
It also makes me wonder what dumb thing will be next on my faux pas list. Regardless of our education, skills, experience, and on-the-job training, we all do stupid things eventually. After all, we’re only human.