Mission Statement

The full name of this blog is “Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome” and it exists to document the egregious and frequent misuse of acronyms in the English language. “ATM Machine” is an example of RAS Syndrome, because ATM stands for “Automatic Teller Machine”, and the speaker is therefore essentially saying “Automatic Teller Machine Machine.” SWAT Team is not such an abuse, because SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics.

For more information on the concept, please see the Wikipedia entry.

The Rules of Engagement

• A link to the document being quoted will be provided.  The name of the link will be that of the party who suffers from RAS Syndrome.  For instance, if Newspaper X runs an article referring to an ATM Machine, then the link will read, “Newspaper X.”  If, however, Newspaper X runs an article quoting a politician referring to an “ATM Machine”, then the link will be the title and name of the politician.
• Each instance of abuse will be bolded and, in parentheses next to it, the acronym will be expanded next to the offending word.  For instance, if the original article reads, “The ATM Machine was stolen.”, then it would appear on this site as, “The ATM Machine (Automatic Teller Machine Machine) was stolen.”
• Professionals only.  I’m not going to hunt for people blogging about going to the “ATM Machine” while documenting their personal life.  If a site has ads on it, it’s fair game.  If it appears the writer is being paid, it’s fair game.  Some things straddle the line– where, for instance, it’s not clear whether a hobbyist site is a labor of love or an attempt to make profit– and I’ll use my best judgment.
• Written work is, of course, fair game.  Prepared speeches, such as those given by politicians, are as well.  Extemporaneous speech will have to be particularly egregious to be documented– either an obvious example, or by somebody who truly should know better.
• Pseudo-RAS Syndrome will not be documented, because it is not an abuse of the English language.  For instance, “FBI investigation” is valid; while it would expand as “Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation”, it is perfectly fine to refer in such a way to an investigation performed by the FBI.   Similarly, there is no foul when referring to a “UN Nation.”