In the true spirit of the evils of euphemism — and creating some synergy with Spencer’s piece from yesterday — today we learn how to describe air quality in China:
On the long-awaited day that these Olympics officially opened, the sky was smoggy and the local air quality rating was 94, well above the limits in the United States. Still, anything below a 101 qualifies as a “Blue Sky Day” here, according to the standards set to monitor air quality for the Olympics.
Which makes the air conditions “acceptable” but “some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people.” So, I guess the appropriate response is … USA! USA! USA!
–Tim Fernholz
