I have a confession to make... Up until last, last weekend, I didn't have a clue what "YOLO" was. I'd seen it on Facebook statuses, but assumed it was the new and hip way of saying "YO!". Oh, I was wrong. Apparently I'm about half a year too late with my discovery of slang and "cool" abbreviations; I may blog online, but I have the urban knowledge of an 80-year-old grandma. When I think of abbreviations, I think perhaps writing "gov" for "government", or "BBC" for "British Broadcasting Corporation", "USA" etc. Last on my mind is YOLO.
After I'd meekly asked my friend what exactly it meant (I hadn't bothered looking it up online before), I was introduced to the world of weird words and instantly realised just how often the people around me use it. (It's "You Only Live Once", to my fellow cavepeople.) Okay, so half of my friends use it to mock the popularity and overuse of the phrase (but the other half use it in all it's seriousness), but I thought it'd be an interesting topic to look into anyway. Urban Dictionary says that it is "the dumbass's excuse for something stupid they did...Also one of the most annoying abbreviations ever". Let's go deeper.
"Carpe diem for stupid people" is a bit harsh. But do you remember I posted a snippet of my bucket list last week (of course you do!), entitled "Carpe diem"? I can see how YOLO can be of inspiration for people to challenge themselves. To be a shade braver. To live the day like it is their last. And for that, I respect the sentiment behind it. You do only live once, so it is only best we make the most of what time we do have. What's the point in sitting for hours on end - every day - tapping away at a game controller, when you could be making a difference in your life? After all, you only live once. However, I have a problem with it being used as an excuse. "I'm going to spend all my money buying broken TVs, then I will trash the house on the corner of the street, then jump off the roof." "Why?" "Because YOLO!". (For that matter, YODO - you only die once. But you will die.). One life isn't an excuse to pull pranks and commit crimes and just do bad stuff in general. I also have a problem with people using text talk and/or other slang in their real life conversations. I cringe at people dropping "Lol!" when they find something funny but are not seated behind a screen. The same applies to saying "YOLO" - if you really, really meant it, why can't you just say the whole thing? OMG it'd take up a whole extra five seconds! And I also agree with dear old Urban Dictionary; it is annoying!
After I'd meekly asked my friend what exactly it meant (I hadn't bothered looking it up online before), I was introduced to the world of weird words and instantly realised just how often the people around me use it. (It's "You Only Live Once", to my fellow cavepeople.) Okay, so half of my friends use it to mock the popularity and overuse of the phrase (but the other half use it in all it's seriousness), but I thought it'd be an interesting topic to look into anyway. Urban Dictionary says that it is "the dumbass's excuse for something stupid they did...Also one of the most annoying abbreviations ever". Let's go deeper.
"Carpe diem for stupid people" is a bit harsh. But do you remember I posted a snippet of my bucket list last week (of course you do!), entitled "Carpe diem"? I can see how YOLO can be of inspiration for people to challenge themselves. To be a shade braver. To live the day like it is their last. And for that, I respect the sentiment behind it. You do only live once, so it is only best we make the most of what time we do have. What's the point in sitting for hours on end - every day - tapping away at a game controller, when you could be making a difference in your life? After all, you only live once. However, I have a problem with it being used as an excuse. "I'm going to spend all my money buying broken TVs, then I will trash the house on the corner of the street, then jump off the roof." "Why?" "Because YOLO!". (For that matter, YODO - you only die once. But you will die.). One life isn't an excuse to pull pranks and commit crimes and just do bad stuff in general. I also have a problem with people using text talk and/or other slang in their real life conversations. I cringe at people dropping "Lol!" when they find something funny but are not seated behind a screen. The same applies to saying "YOLO" - if you really, really meant it, why can't you just say the whole thing? OMG it'd take up a whole extra five seconds! And I also agree with dear old Urban Dictionary; it is annoying!
When things get really mainstream, they start becoming cliches. The association between "word" and "meaning" gets lost in the hype and buzz of actually saying the word. Is it simply another trend? Popular. First publicised by the celebrities in the spotlight? I mean, Zac Freakin' Efron has it tattooed on his freakin' hand. That's gotta count for something, right?
Going back to the text talk point though, my internal dictionary has been exposed to a whole new vocabulary. A friend told me about "1DRFUL" (wonderful. Nothing to do with One Direction.) and calling someone a "404" (Internet "file not found on server" so you are clueless). People with smartphones and Facebook chat and Microsoft Word spellcheck have less and less need to write fully. In fact, that was brought up in the recent apparent drop of English grammar in this year's GCSE students. Where do I stand? I studied "spoken and social language" extensively when I did my AS Level English and I completely "get" using slang etc for ease and economy. It's quicker to type "wuu2" rather than the full "what are you up to?". And you would raise (virtual) eyebrows if you wrote "laughing out loud" instead of "lol". I just hope it doesn't ever become a permanent replacement. I'd rather talk to you and in the event of me laughing uncontrollably, I may simply laugh uncontrollably. Not LMAO or ROFL. And may you always know the difference between too and to and two.
BTW FYI, U MAW* TAYM8S** abt dis 1DRFUL post. Aiiiiiight? After all, YOLO. MHMM HOLLA.
Bev x
*Might as well.
**Tell all your mates. Made this one up.
- Friday, August 31, 2012
- 0 Comments
