Issues, Problems, and Solutions

Know what drives me batty?

The current craze for using the word "issue" when talking about a problem.

As in, "we're having computer issues," or, "he's having health issues."

I can't prove it, but I suspect that we can attribute this Orwellian corruption of the English language to political correctness.

To call something a "problem," after all, is to make a judgment that something is bad. And it is the unchallengeable judgment of the politically correct that it is very bad to be judgmental.

An "issue," on the other hand, is "a matter in dispute between two or more parties." So how people feel about an "issue" may be relative to their "values." Very non-judgmental. Very politically correct.

But if your computer network is down, there is nothing in dispute; no-one would argue that the outage is a good thing.

Likewise, no-one would argue that being sick is a good thing.

So, when your computer network is down, you don't have a computer "issue." You have a computer PROBLEM.

And, when you're sick, you don't have a health "issue." You have a health PROBLEM.

In a related matter ...

One of the biggest buzzwords in business these days is "solutions." Nobody sells software anymore ... nobody sells pizza ... nobody sells pants ... everybody sells solutions.

Combine that fact with the craze for using the word "issue" instead of "problem" and you're left with an amusing paradox:

Millions of solutions – and no problems!