Sez Who?

I recently wrote about the fact that the word Eskimo is now on the Do Not Say (DNS) list. What I want to know is who put it there. Who decides which words are okay and with are verboten? It seems to me that in a democracy, something that big should be decided by the people. How about  a referendum? Or a survey in the daily newspaper or online? Instead, we all just wake up one morning and suddenly we can't describe someone as disabled, or look forward to Indian summer. And no more Eskimo Pies? What I want to know is, "Sez who?" Is there a committee somewhere? If so, I want on.

Following are some of the words and phrases I believe should be stricken from usage, and at least I'm willing to explain why.

Savvy: What is that, exactly? Does anyone really know? People who use that word -- and by the way it's usually only in print, you rarely hear it in conversation -- are only seeking to make you think that they are savvy, not whoever they are talking about. Why not just say "smart" or "knowledgable" or any other normal words that people actually understand?

White privilege: Not a real thing, it was manufactured to make white people feel guilty for not being black, or for not having slaves as ancestors, or something like that. Nobody knows, but since pleasing black people is of utmost importance these days it is heard frequently, especially from black people on TV news. Recently a white, female high-school teacher in Berkeley, CA wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle about Bernie Sanders being the epitome of white privilege because he wore a "puffy coat and mittens" to the Inauguration. The 79-year-old senator did not "dress up" and instead tried to stay warm, sitting outside for hours in freezing temps. OHMYGOD! Should he have worn black tie and tails and contracted pneumonia and died? Would that have been less privileged?  

Upchuck: This word makes me want to. Why not just say "vomit" or "throw up" and be done with it? Even "toss my cookies" is better, and that's stupid. Who is this Chuck anyway, and what's he been up to?

Plus Size: Plus what size? If it's plus a size 4, or 6 or 8 or 10 or even a 12, who cares? If it's more than that, then you are fat and that is that. Saying this meaningless phrase does not make you look any thinner.

Happy Hour: So you hate your job so much that you need to rush to the nearest pub to drink alcohol after doing it all day to make yourself feel good? It should be called Sadness Hour.

Gay: What the hell are they so happy about? Closing down bakeries that refuse to make them a wedding cake? And why that word? What's wrong with homosexuals, now on the DNS list?

Shrink: Someone who went to school to become a professional MD or whatever, in order to help you live without misery, addiction, or suicide, is to be lauded and applauded, not shrunk down in size. They should be called "Doctor," way more than someone who teaches English or whatever they teach in some college.