Sunday Rest: craftivism. Word Not To Use Today.

I was a Girl Guide, once.

I was reminded of my Guiding days by a story in the Daily Mail newspaper about what used, I think, to be called Interest Badges. 

Partly through natural laziness and incompetence, and partly because I wasn't really that interested in anything, I wasn't awarded many Interest Badges (though I did manage to stumble through my Interpreter's Badge (French)). 

Anyway, I read now that some badges have been made obsolete. Bell Ringing has gone, alas, and so has Laundress, an area of expertise which would have been jolly useful to me over the years but which in my youthful arrogance I despised at the time.

Of the new badges, it's interesting that the names of many consist of very new words: vlogging, upcycling, mixology, and craftivism.

Vlogging (video-blogging) is a word I've always thought does its job rather neatly. Upcycling is logically slightly iffy (can you go up and round at the same time?) but gives people, I think, the right idea; mixology is hideous and ridiculous, but sadly entrenched with verruca-like tenacity in our poor language; but craftivism...

Heaven help us all!

To gain your craftivism (ouch!) badge it seems that you have to put a slogan on an item of clothing.

THIS IS A CHEAP 

AND EASY WAY TO

PRETEND
TO BE 

VIRTUOUS

possibly.

Or even:

NOT ALL THAT MANY

 HUMANS WERE 

EXPLOITED 

DURING THE MAKING

OF THIS

T SHIRT

Is there an Elegant English badge, I wonder? 

I'm afraid I doubt it.

Word Not To Use Today: craftivism. This is a really nasty mixture of craft and activism. The Old English cræft meant skill or strength. The Latin word actum is a thing done.