One expression that seems to have died a long time ago is the phrase "Help Wanted" – a sign that was usually put up in front of an establishment in need of employees or workers. It basically says, "Come in and we’ll give you work." I believe there was even a time when the classified ads for job offerings was referred to as the "Help Wanted" section. I recently saw a 1950s film which featured a woman who was about to lose her job. She said, "Here I go again – I’m back to the ‘Help Wanted’ pages."
I wonder why we don’t use that expression anymore. I still see some signs occasionally but usually outside girlie bars (note: I see the signs outside, OK?). And they don’t say "Help Wanted" either – they say "Wanted: GRO. Apply Inside." And when you scour through the classifieds nowadays, you won’t see the words "Help Wanted." You will see "Career Opportunities," "For Immediate Hiring," "Urgently Needed," "Urgent Hiring," "Now Hiring," "Join Our Team," to name a few. It seems to me that no one wants to use the word "help" anymore. Every potential employer is appealing to the ego of applicants. They seem to be saying "We want your talent" instead of "Can you help us?" Is it just me or is there a grand conspiracy to make the word "help" disappear from the face of the earth?
Call me paranoid but I’m worried. The last time the word "Help!" was in vogue was in 1965 when the Beatles released a song with that title. It was even made into a movie. "Help" was the craze at the time. But then, we started dropping it. Sure, we still use it and is still around. But we don’t seem to be using it all that much anymore. At least not like how we used to.
Nowadays, when we want to ask for help from someone, we don’t ask for help. We ask for a "favor." In fact, we don’t even ask for a favor anymore. We just say, "Favor." Of course, we still say, "Can I help you?" at times. We hear this now and again from stewardesses and hotel receptionists. But it’s like before. If ever the word is said, it’s usually out of habit, or because the manual says so. It’s very rarely from the heart.
"Help" is a very important word. But we have degraded it over the years. We seem to prefer other words, like aid or assist. And this preference is very evident. When we call a person an aide, the image that we think of is a relief worker for the UN. When we say "assistant," the image of a white collar worker assisting a manager comes to mind. But when we say helper, what image comes to mind? A maid. We never say domestic aide or domestic assistant. We say domestic helper. The word "help" needs some serious PR.
Helping should be part of our nature. It should be instinctive. We should never wait for people to ask for help before we actually offer it. That is the essence of helping – it’s thinking of others. Helping yourself is no help at all. It’s plain self-indulgence.
One time, on a trip to Canada, my brother and I were looking through a map. We were trying to figure out where we were. It never occurred to us to ask for help. We wanted to figure out the map on our own. But then a fellow came to us and said, "You need any help?" That question caught us by surprise. Why? Because we normally don’t get unsolicited help from strangers. But if you think about it, that’s what helping is all about.
So please help me preserve the word. Otherwise, we’ll all be in trouble.