Euphemisms

I had dinner with a friend of mine - a rather enlightened one - who mentioned Amartya Sen's new book, " The Argumentative Indian" and how it was all about "discourse" and "narratives". Being a scientist who likes calling a spade a spade, I am rather averse to using academic words where normal words could be used. I dont like people telling me a book is all about the "discourse on the prohibitve mindset and explores the ruminations of an entity behind the berlin wall". Dude, its about a person who is behind the wall...do we really need to say all that.
Anyway, I was arguing how I think that all these new post-modern vocabulary is very psuedo-intellectual especially when used in daily conversation. She then sent me this hilarious account of Harvard University's psuedoness!!

The business of writing "veridicality" for "truth"reminds me of an anecdote about Bertrand Russell. While the great philosopher was living in America,Harvard University asked him to give an address to their philosophy department. Russell wrote up an address and sent it to them for approval. He gave it the title "Words and Things". Some days later he got a call from the Philosophy Department. "Prof.Russell, we think your address will do just fine.
However, there is a problem with the title. 'Words and Things' really won't do for a lecture on academic philosophy. Do you think you could change that title?
Make it a little more ... professional?" Russell changed the title to something like "Linguistic
Correlates of Epistemological Constructs". Harvard was happy and the lecture was a success.