European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Friday december 12,1986 today s crossword he is irritated realty really Brand Rooney delicious i heard la flight attendant say to the passenger behind me. It s really delicious he said of i thought o myself ill take thai As her opinion even though i can t see what she s talking  i lasted it the flight attendant continued and it s really delicious i never had anything so delicious  this was five Deliciouse i d heard in the space of 20 seconds and it was irritating. I m easily irritated in flight. Ill try some i heard the passenger say. You la love it the flight attendant said. It s really delicious 1 said quickly to myself. Mocking what i anticipated the night attendant would say next. She did l disappoint me. It s really delicious she bubbled for the sixth time. I reached in the pocket Tor the bag provided for passengers who think they re going to be sick. If i was t a Sweet mild tempered person i d have stood up and whacked this Young woman Over her pretty head with my seat Cushion and yelled All right Al ready. So it s  is it my imagination or Are people repeating them selves More than they once did i m continually hear ing people say the same thing not twice but four or five limes. It s hard to know what brought this on. It seems As though people either enjoy hearing themselves say these things or they Don t Trust people to hear what they be said the first time. They want to make f ure. This morning i happened to be outside my office door when the Man who delivers the newspaper showed up. He also delivers to Charles Junul just Down the Nail and the personnel office next door. I m going to leave their papers Wilh you too he said. I can t gel in so i la leave them Wilh you. Thedoor is locked there and i can t leave them so i la leave them Here there s a subject for someone s doctoral thesis Here somewhere. The theory and practice of repetition in everyday conversation. There Are phrase people use that have repetition built into them. I have a Friend who often us we think Tike i just had a Small Little breakfast this mom he always uses the words Small and Little together As if one improved on the other. You hear As Good a speaker As president Reagan being redundant i Don t know whether he invented it himself or whether it was written for him for a reason i can t figure out he started using the phrase a new  Are there any old beginnings it s repeating the same thing Over again twice repeatedly. There seems to be a proliferation of unnecessary talk everywhere 1 can think of several possible Rea sons for it. The first reason May be that there s so much unnecessary noise in the world that in order to carry on a conversation people have to shout and constantly re iterate. The chances of anyone hearing everything they say the first time they say it in Public is minimal. There s either a radio or a television set blaring away or someone s running a Lawn Mower a Power saw or the Street maintenance people Are working with pneumatic Jackhammer nearby. I often Lake a cab in new York invariably the Driver has his radio on Loo loud and in addition he has a two Way radio Wilh someone on it competing with theother sounds trying to give him the name and address of a customer when i Tell him where i want to go notice 1 often repeat the address to make sure he heard it. And then there s another reason Tor Alt the verbal repetition. I Don t want to get Over my head in psychology but i think people Are Uncertain about Romany things in heir fives that they get some sort of primal satisfaction from saying something that does t Call for any thought if we expressed an idea just once Telephone Calls interviews and everyday conversations could be Cut in half. Maybe we can Call it Media Gate by Russell Baker what shall we Call it a scandal an affair a mess perhaps a disgrace names Are vital at times like this yet this business Aboul Iran Nicaragua Israel it. Col. Oliver North the National Security Council hostage trades and plenty More still has no name. Most suggestions rework the trite Gate suffix. As for All Gate names enough already watergate was Fine but it s out. Nort Gaie which has been proposed i feeble the Issue in t North who seems Likely to emerge As just another fall