10 Political Terms We Should Stop Using Immediately
5. Transparency
This term often confuses people. Accountability, on the other hand is much more direct. Whether it be private or government entities, people can agree that they should accountable. Transparency is actually a metaphor; institutions should be see-through, meaning they should be able to answer to the public. The term accountable speaks directly to the ends sought from transparency, without having to rely on a lose metaphor many people won’t properly understand. Corporate transparency evokes Stalinesque thoughts of government bureaucrats riffling through filing cabinets, whereas corporate accountability sounds more than reasonable and even expected in the modern world. Government transparency sounds like the CIA doing whatever it wants without being seen, whereas government accountability means government officials should have to answer for their decisions.
