Brand

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Brand: Identifying characteristic pattern.

Pundits today seem to be branding everything from political parties to anyone who has an identifiable method of operating, a reputation or a declared set of ideals. During elections I hear newsfolk saying such things as -The so-an-so party is losing its brand-. (I think we could use a so-and-so party.) Brand has become so pervasive it appears to be a fad. If reporters were subjected to a hot-iron branding of their flanks every time they used the term unnecessarily, the fad would soon end.
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