I guess this is what it’s come to.

I was listening to a local radio show this morning.  It was one of those Sunday morning public service things.  A woman was being interviewed about being a “mentor” (whatever the heck that is).  I was hoping that she doesn’t mentor anyone in the use of the language.

Here is what she said:

“I literally took a leap off that proverbial cliff.”

I’d analyze how truly awful that sentence is, but I don’t know where to start.

Can we just assume that we shouldn’t use the words “share” and “same” in reference to a single concept in a single sentence?

Below is a quotation from a lawyer for Shelly Sterling with regard to the ownership situation of the Los Angeles Clippers.  It appeared in the L.A. Daily News today.

According to the biographical information on the webpage of his current law firm, this well-known Los Angeles attorney has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown and law degrees from both Georgetown and Yale. The bio also says he is the author of over 200 articles (including “scholarly” articles) and five books.

“Mrs. Sterling has made it clear that she abhors the attitudes reflected in her estranged husband’s recent remarks and that she supports the NBA’s decision to ban him for life.  They may share the same name, but they don’t share the same values on race.”

 One wonders if Mrs. Sterling could share different names or different values.  I mean really, how difficult is it to say “They may have the same name, but they don’t have the same values”?

At least he didn’t say that they may both share the same name.