Closure on the word “Closure”
May 2, 2011
I’m watching the news coverage this morning regarding the killing by U.S. forces of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. His death is welcome news to anyone who mourns those murdered on 9/11 and all the other victims of al-Qaeda related brutality.
It’s maddening to hear journalist after journalist this morning bandy about the word “closure.” It brings to mind what Dr. William Petit, whose entire family was slaughtered in a horrific home invasion, said: “I don’t think there’s ever closure. I think whoever came up with that concept is an imbecile, whoever they are.” Anyone who has lost a loved one, particularly in a brutal act of terrorism, knows that the idea of closure is something manufactured by the Dr. Phil-ization of our collective national psyche.
Please, fellow journalists, save the word “closure” for traffic reports.
-Barbara
