on writing well.

"Our national tendency is to inflate and thereby sound important. The airline pilot who announces that he is presently anticipating experiencing considerable precipitation wouldn't think of saying it may rain. The sentence is too simple - there must be something wrong with it." - On Writing Well

I believe that the above quote is a true statement - America is plagued by trying to sound smart. From bank documents, to the fine print on credit card promotions, there are always more words than necessary. Why can't someone just say that if you don't pay the creditors on time, your debt will increase? Or that instead of weather reporters saying we will be having some form of solid precipitation of water falling tomorrow, we can't say there is a chance of hail?

I think this happens because everyone wants to sound educated or else no one will take you seriously. By using simple sentences and words, a listener might assume one did not take education seriously and only half-heartedly listen instead. On the other hand, using big words is a nuisance, especially if one throws it in just for the sake of throwing a big word in. As long as America will be in competition with other nations and each other, the tendency for a person to inflate a sentence will always continue. A person who seems the smartest always seems to get the better end of the deal. And today, everyone wants that better end of the deal.