PA Gov Josh Shapiro Legitimizes Using Term "Sh*t"
Conversational. Authentic. Plainspeak. Touching directly on pain points. That's what's expected in communications. And that's what Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro accomplishes in the video kicking off his re-election campaign . In it he leverages his Get Sh*t Done branding. Explicitly in the video Gov Shapiro boasts that on his watch PA "Got the sh*t done." The backdrop visuals feature what got done. Since Gov Shapiro, as The New York Times documents, is seeking to build a national profile, we can conclude that this is happening: The term "sh*t" in formal discourse has been legitimized. From informal discourse, we sure know how effective using the term is. When we do use it, whether from a place of authority or just that of everyman/everywoman, a line has been crossed. The movement is from standard polite rhetoric to hey-I-mean-business. For example, the pest continues to deliver unsolicited advice. So, I cross the line: "What's this advice...