Charlotte City Council Members and Zombies

On Monday night Charlotte City Council Member Warren Cooksey tweeted:

“@WCooksey: News from the closed session: "ask" continues to be used as a noun by ‪#cltcc‬ members.”

No, Mr. Cooksey wasn't cracking on Charlotte City Council's diversity, it was not a question of pronunciation, but rather use.  The councilman had noticed that some members have taken to using the word "ask" as a noun vs a verb.

ie: We have an "ask" on the table. vs We have a "request" on the table.

Ask as a noun isn't new, the Microsoft crowd was over using "ask" during corporate meetings with, "I have an number of simple asks" or "Our ask is not unreasonable." as far back as 2009.

Apparently this is some sort of effort by the user to not seem so demanding or petty, a way to tone down a request, or to diminish the perceived difficulty in granting the "request" errr or should I say "ask"?

Note to Charlotte City Council members who feel they are being trendy or hip by using "ask" as a noun, you just look silly.  Silly in much the same way some marketing genius coined the term "reach out" a few years back, as in you need to "reach out to your clients".

Honestly, I don't like people I don't know well, "reaching out" to me, it tends to make me suspicious and gives me the impression that they might be some sort of zombie.

Finally, a quick google of ask as a noun, turns up this little tidbit, ask the noun has been around longer than the french derived word request. Yep, it is not new or trendy, in fact it is pretty dead.