You are unlikely to know the word dirigisme unless you are an economist. Today, we view a state-planned and run economy as a complete failure. The work of the DOGE group has exposed what happens when control of anything (especially economies) moves from the private sector to the public sector. Often, the centralized planning of an economy leads to corruption and inappropriate picking of winners and losers as supply and demand are replaced by artificial scarcity and political influence.
Dirigisme was and is prevalent in communist countries like Russia and China. In India, it is a part of the government’s control of the railroads. Our experiment with heavy-handed government influence over AMTRAC says it all. Some European countries are at least partway down this path, and their economies have suffered.
“France’s adoption of dirigisme has resulted in the nationalization of some major industries.”
“The debate over dirigisme is its impact on individual freedoms and market efficiency.”
“Democratic countries shift away from dirigisme and move towards more relaxed economic policies.”
Zaftig is a rarely used adjective to describe a woman, but it is a good word to know if you want to speak in code. The word zaftig originated with burlesque in the 1920s and was used to describe ” pleasingly plump dancers.” It is probably a Yiddish word originating with zaftik, meaning juicy or succulent. Some have co-opted it to mean attractiveness to make the word less offensive. I would contend that putting that twist on the definition is an attempt to normalize our rampant obesity problems.
“The dancer playing the lead role in the musical was a zaftig brunette.”
“Marilyn Monroe would probably fit the description of a zaftig actress, leading her to lose weight for other movie roles.”
“Great-aunt Sophie was zaftig, or more appropriately ‘pleasingly plump.’”
Combining these two words into a single sentence was hard but accomplishable with some effort and creativity.
“Despite her zaftig figure, Rebecca’s innovative ideas contrasted to the dirigisme that limited creativity in the government’s control of theatre.”
“Maria’s zaftig beauty challenged the dirigisme of the modeling industry.”
“In the Nazi world governed by dirigisme, Lily’s zaftig presence was a breath of fresh air, celebrating natural beauty and individuality.”
