Every so often, certain words or phrases will become trends among us young people. Some can be funny and creative, some not so much. No matter how great or cool a phrase is, they often overstay their welcome. These are just a few phrases that have done just that.
“Thanks Obama!”
The year 2008 seemed like it was a much simpler time. That may have been true, or it might have just seemed that way because I was 12 years old. After President Barack Obama was elected, many conservative Republicans or anyone who disagreed with President Obama’s views or policies would often sarcastically say “Thanks Obama!” to convey their dissatisfaction. In the years following, this sarcastic declaration of gratitude became so widespread that naturally teens of the internet ironically re-appropriated the phrase to air their grievances as well. On a quick scroll of Facebook or Twitter, one would not be surprised to find a post that reads, “Went to McDonald’s and ordered a large fry and they gave me a medium. Thanks Obama!” As absolutely side-splittingly hilarious as that was at the time, that joke is now over. We are in President Obama’s second term, and whether you like or dislike his politics, you are no longer allowed to thank him for your non-politically related problems.
“Twerk” in place of the word “work”
Everyone knows twerking, or is at least aware of it. If you aren’t, feel free to look up videos. Twerking itself is not the problem, but the popularization of twerking led to many of us making certain jokes involving twerking, none of which were particularly creative. “Employees must wash hands before returning to twerk,” “Twerking hard or hardly twerking,” and “Everybody’s twerking for the weekend” are all examples of the oft-made pun. The world gets it. You can replace the word “work” with the word “twerk” any time you like. We’ve made all the puns. You can stop now.
#YOLO
For those who don’t know, (as if there isn’t anyone who doesn’t at this point,) the acronym YOLO stands for, “You only live once.” The sentiment of the phrase is that of being in the present moment and living life to the fullest degree, similar to “Carpe Diem.” The phrase itself has been around for hundreds of years, but was recently popularized by modern music and television. The most notable is Drake’s “The Motto” in which he purportedly employs the philosophy “erryday.” As with many elements of hip-hop culture, it was widely accepted by America’s youth. Appearing after almost every internet post about dangerous or irresponsible activities, #YOLO was rampant. After the initial craze, many began saying it ironically, but after a while it simply became something they said. The epidemic reached it’s peak about two years ago, but now YOLO is dead. Although few people are saying it now, those who do are the most annoying people you know. Think about it.
“Literally can’t even”
This phrase is widely popular among teenage and young adult women. The idea behind the phrase relates to the literal inability to comprehend, deal with something appropriately, or perform an action. The word literally has been misused for generations, and this phrase is no exception. “I literally can’t even wake up early for school tomorrow,” is stated regularly, and yet you will see whoever stated this in class the next day. It is starting to cross the threshold from sincere to ironic use, but I would suggest taking it one step further, and killing the phrase altogether.
These are just a few phrases that we should stop saying. These aren’t across the board, but I’d like to think most would agree on these. There are many more, most are up for debate. Much of it depends on personal preference and individual culture. If you do say any of these often, there’s no need to feel guilty. Just do everyone a favor and stop, we forgive you.
