“Godterms”

Yesterday I came across the following tweet:

Godterm of ‘patient-centredness’ called into service to rationalize #CBME – how convincing so you find this rhetoric? #AMEE2016

— Lorelei Lingard (@LingardLorelei) August 31, 2016

I had never come across the coinage “Godterm” before – and the meaning I ascribed to it was simply this: something that is, as the saying goes, like motherhood and apple pie; no-one wants to be seen to be arguing against it. This usually reflects that it is indeed a Good Thing, maybe even a Very Good Thing, maybe an Extremely Good Thing. However the term becomes something of a rhetorical blunderbuss – this is Patient-Centered, and YOU AREN’T AGAINST PATIENT-CENTEREDNESS, ARE YOU?

I tweeted Lorelei Lingard expressing that “godterm” was a useful find and she replied:

@JamesMcQueen78 yes, useful! godterms lurk everywhere and shape what we think and do in powerful ways. Valuable to excavate them. #AMEE2016

— Lorelei Lingard (@LingardLorelei) August 31, 2016

There are indeed godterms lurking everywhere – “innovation” is another. Note that pointing out that X is a godterm does not mean one is criticising X, but rather the use of X as a shield to deflect scrutiny.

Thanks again to Lorelei Lingard for introducing me to this term! I look forward to happy godterm excavation.