[NLA] Return on Investment

[George E. Demetrion]

I would only add that "Return on Investment" (ROI) is a metaphor that can
be read on a variety of levels.  I see nothing wrong with it in itself
and agree with Andrea and with Tom Sticht, that it can be useful.

Where it becomes a problem, at least for me, is when:

a)  People use it too literally, so that hours of student or volunteer
participation are precisely calibrated into dollars of investment
accrued, and underplay the more significant aspects of student and
volunteer participation.

b)  When ROI becomes the only or even the dominant metaphor through which
we seek to narrate our collective stories. Both language and experience
are shortchanged as a result.  

This has been discussed before, but the need for fresh language and
figures of speech are critically important in the effort to convey the
work we do in public formats.

To suggest one example, what images would be conveyed if we could say in
public formats that literacy is a rich and multi-faceted tapestry that
weaves its pearls of wisdom throughout the many strands of life?

Language matters and it matters fundamentally.

George Demetrion
sophocles5 at juno.com


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