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Friday, January 6, 2012

The new NIMBY

I literally laughed out loud when I read this post on a friend's Facebook page:
This story (about residents signing a petition to prevent the building of a new low-rise seniors' residence in their suburban neighbourhood, citing fears of noise and vandalism and elderly people watching what they're barbecuing) inspired my friend John McGrath to coin a new term: instead of NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard), what we have here are BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing, Anywhere Near Anything). That seems to be the new attitude.
 Subsequently the friend said he had not invented the term but learned it one summer working at the Ontario Ministry of Energy. 
I LOVE it!
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1 comment:

  1. Félicia M. January 8, 2012 at 5:42 AM

    Yes it's great ! Much funnier than NIMBY, as it underlines the nonsense.

    ReplyDelete

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About Me

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Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber is an expert on the English language and a frequent guest on radio and television. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Her witty and informative talks on the stories behind our words are very popular. Contact her at wordlady.barber@gmail.com to book her for speaking engagements; she can tailor her talks to almost any subject. She is also available as an expert witness for lawsuits.