Here’s our word of the weak, spelling intentional: next gen. This is the cringeworthy, empty phrase overused by the “fake it until you make it” crowd to describe cars, cellular service, software, and even pharmaceuticals. Why say “advanced”, “innovative” or “revolutionary” when you can undermine your credibility with the fuzzy, informationless “next gen”? If everything is next gen, then nothing is. Truth be told, we’re guilty of having used it a few times —heck more than a few times. Shame on us. But no more. We call a moratorium on next gen. You can hold us to that. In fact, please do. We mean it — so much so that we plan to seek absolution in Church: “Forgive us, Father, for we have “next-genned.” It’s been “genny” months since our last confession”
So “next gen” is out. But we very much like the phrase “next Jen”. For starters, it is wholly original and technically accurate. We knew a Jen a long, long time ago, a “first Jen,” so to speak, but subsequently lost touch with her, (and no her number was not 8675309) so Jen Latchford (JLa), who holds the title of Director of Client Services at MCS Healthcare, our peerless PR firm, qualifies as “next Jen” or, more specifically, “the next Jen.” Moreover, the phrase fits because it describes the traits from her that we appreciate — helpfulness, dedication, and creativity.
The problem for JLa is that the title of “next Jen” is tenuous. If (or when) we meet another Jen, JLa will automatically become a “second Jen” — although we don’t plan to replace her.