Tag Archives: obituaries

Star’s Death Occasions a Reminder of When and How to Mention Adoption

Other bloggers in this blog have written about Positive Adoption Language and the impact of adoption words. I’m hardly a “word usage Nazi” on the warpath for political correctness, but two things this week have left me wishing our culture would be just a little bit more sensitive to my children. One usage of adoption language not mentioned much in the above blogs is the use of the term “adopted” when there is no purpose for it. There may be a reason to mention adoption in a story involving a family with genetic illness, or when adoption explains a condition … Continue reading →

Britney Spears’ Obit is Already Written

In the wake of the recent, sudden and tragic deaths of young actors Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger much is being made of the obituary that The Associated Press has prepared for Britney Spears. I’m sure you have noticed that whenever a famous person dies after living a long and distinguished life, major news organizations almost instantaneously come out with detailed obituaries highlighting all aspects of their lives. What you might not know is that many of those stories are produced well in advance of a star’s passing. This was not the case in the deaths of Brad Renfro and … Continue reading →