Jonathan Meades on Jargon(2018)

Jonathan Meades on Jargon is a sharp television essay that dissects how jargon obscures truth across modern life. Meades trains his forensic eye on politics, law, football commentary, business, the arts, tabloid writing and management consultancy, exposing how specialized language is weaponized to confuse and exclude. He contrasts jargon's obfuscation with slang, which cuts through pretense to reveal genuine meaning, even when crude. Provocative and unfiltered, the programme argues that jargon serves power while slang serves clarity. Meades delivers his critique with characteristic bluntness and colourful language, dismantling the linguistic smokescreens that keep ordinary people in the dark.