10 New Expressions That I Can’t Stand

Sure, I’m old. But I can keep up with the youngsters. I’d say I’m pretty cool --a slang word that has lasted for over 60 years incidentally. I’d go as far as saying I fit into the category of “awesome” -- another slang word that’s already 40 years old. And when it comes to getting with a trend, I’m up for it -- or down with it -- or whatever the kids are saying. 

But in just the last couple of years I feel inundated with expressions that are just -- for no other way of expressing it -- stupid. They make no sense. They aren’t clever. They’re just buzzwords that everyone parrots and it’s annoying A.F. (Look it up). 

So here are 10 words and sayings that I can’t wait to be over. 

10: Karen: This is just another word for a snitch, or as they used to say in Brooklyn, a squealer. They rat out whoever isn’t following the rules. This used to be the little brownnose kid in school who is all grown up and a bigger pain in the ass than ever. But why “Karen?” There are plenty of nice people with that name and I’d be pissed if my name was used to describe an obnoxious trait. Then again…

9: My Truth: You hear this a lot from commentators, pundits, pedagogues and pretty much anyone with a camera facing them. I hate it because it’s an attempt to add the word “truth” to what is clearly an opinion. Yes, Don Lemmon, I am aware of “your truth.” Just substitute those two words with “cattle excrement” and we’re on the same page. 

8: G.O.A.T. This stems from the decay of language through excessive texting. Everything is an acronym. But “goat” used to mean the loser. Today it stands for “Greatest Of All Time.” But it just doesn’t work. It’d be like having an acronym for Decisive Ingenious Creative and Knowledgeable.

7: Sus: This is short for “suspect.” This harkins back to lingo of the 40’s where words were abbreviated. For example, “Naturally” became “natch.” “Definitely" was “def.” Did I just use the word “lingo?” 

6: Social Distance: Why is the word “social” necessary to get the point here?

5: Check Your Privilege!” A term a spoiled snot nosed kid uses in an attempt to portray someone as having an unfair advantage with which they are unaware -- kinda like assuming it’s okay to openly express whatever disparaging opinion you may have of someone. And they dare not question it. If they do, that proves they’re privileged. It’s a built in Catch 22. The good news is you don’t have to buy into any of it. 

4: Spill The Tea: Another way of saying “Spill the beans.” How beans became tea, I’m uncertain. Can I just say “Spill it?” 

3: Okay Boomer: A popular phrase among millennials meant to dismiss anything said by anyone over 50 -- because, apparently, anyone born before the turn of the century can't possibly have anything of relevance to say.

2: Re-Imagining: This is a favored expression with politicians and newsmakers. (Real and fake alike). It sounds good. It infers imagination. But ask anyone who uses the term how they imagine the actual “re-imagining” and you’re sure to get side steps, diversions and additional mediaspeak of equal ambiguity.

1: Systemic Racism: All these years on the planet and I had no idea there was such as thing as systemic racism. But that’s probably because I’m white. So I asked a bunch of people, many of whom are black, what it means. They don’t know either. They’ll use nebulous references such as the government or the police, but without a shred of evidence. It’s just a chance to point fingers and claim superiority. Ironically, anyone who uses it is essentially admitting they’re considerably ignorant by giving credence to a banal cliche’. 

I’m all for new words being added to the language. As we evolve, certain expressions become a way of life. But when it comes to some of these silly, overly convoluted and over used phrases, well...I’m just not jiggy with it.