Beware of Buzzword Cockroaches In the old days of TV, there was a term used to describe bad-faith actors who don’t say much but drop words to emotionally trigger people: Buzzwords The medium has changed - TV is nearly dead, but the word lives on like a cockroach, infesting the new medium, online media. They enter through a vulnerable space called “independent truth tellers” which unbeknownst to its followers, has become a Trojan horse for the buzzword cockroaches. On the surface, the infested Trojan horse seems safe because the buzzwords sound familiar. As the horse rolls through the new medium, more gather around and listen to the comforting sounds of the buzz. The buzz is so mesmerizing that people begin to close their eyes for a full immersion. They begin to pet the horse, make offerings to the horse and pay homage to the horse. The horse’s buzzing hum becomes their truth. The most anxious in the group stand in the back and keep their eyes open. They see something is not right but they can’t tell what it is. So they move closer to the horse. They examine the horse and then they see it! Through small cracks, they see the mighty horse of truth is infested with buzzword cockroaches. They’ve eaten all the truth so the only sounds are buzzwords. “Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword That’s all you need to know. Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword I don’t have to say a lot cause y’all get it Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword” Alarmed, the anxious few try to warn the others but no one hears them. They begin to shake the others out of their trance and nothing. So they begin to scream and still nothing. Sensing the threat, the buzzword cockroaches take action. “Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword Our truth is under attack. Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword They don’t want me speaking truth to you. Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword They are trying to divide us. Buzzword, Buzzword, Buzzword” The crowd, eyes closed and angered by the threat to their “truth”, attack the anxious few with vicious force until none are left standing. In a final act of irony, the truth seekers offer the bodies of the anxious few to the buzzword cockroaches.