I understand that every generation develops it's own slang. That's fine with me. I am Gen- X and we had some of the best slang ever invented. The 90's and the 00's, not so much. But now, now there is a slang term gaining in popularity and I just cannot stand it. It is making me encrazed*. And as is probably obvious, I have no room in my life for even another second of craze.
I have heard this word tossed around intermittently, but it really knocked me over when I heard it used in a car commercial.
The word is "sick". As in, diseased. Ill. Infected. Icky.
In the commercial, a young man is led to a high end SUV by a salesman, and as he bounds up to the vehicle he announces with great enthusiasm...... "that's sick"!
What the......?
It is only by hearing the positive tone in the young man's voice that one realizes, he is not being insulting. He is trying to say something good. Sick evidently means (to him) awesome.
I think that is stupid. That's right, you read it correctly. Stupid. I used the word stupid and I meant it! (Come and get me, grade school teachers of America!).
My generation, teenagers of the 80's, had killer slang. Some of the best. We had "bad" which meant "good" and it made perfect sense and since it was invented by Michael Jackson, it was totally rad! Some of our best terms were duh! and no duh!, you're wiggin' out, I've got to motor/ I have to book it over to the mall, that's grody or gnarly or bitchin', and one of my personal favorites, fuckin' AY right! (It is a favorite because, I mean, come on, what is that? *snort*).
But if you want to know sick, I can tell you sick. This is so sick it should be a disease. Ick Disease. I was shopping for jammies for my girls the other day at Crap Mart. I have had the worst time this year trying to find good jammies for them. When the label says "fire resistant polyester" I have to keep looking. It's been so difficult that I finally resorted to buying long- johns in pinkandpurple just to get something created out of a fiber that occurs in nature.
Anyway. ... let me say this loudly. LOUDLY. And you can QUOTE me if you want!
I will stitch together my own vomit before I purchase Justin Bieber jammies for my little girls. Since that was the main offering in sleepwear, lets just say I need to drink a lot of gin and maybe eat some beets. I would buy jammies featuring Gary Busey first.
Justin Bieber jammies are sick. SICK and NOT in a good way!
* encrazed is a word I made up in response to other people making up words. If you would like to read its origins you can do so here. It's one of my favorite past posts!
I don't think you're gen-X (no offense!). I've always considered myself to be in that category and I was born in 1981. I could be wrong though, not sure.
ReplyDeleteOh Jules... if you're born in 1981 you are too late for gen X. Which is sad, because gen x is way cooler than gen y. (I should know - I'm gen Y too - 1979 - and I've been a bit peeved about it all my life).
ReplyDeleteAnd Essie... can I say that I am desperate to take you up on your offer of quoting you about the Justin Beiber jammies. Because it's hilarious. But try as I might, I just can't think of the right situation to do so :)
No offense taken! Infer nothing from my ultra-rapid response!
ReplyDeleteAccording to wikipedia, source of all knowledge explained and explained again, Gen X includes those born in the late 60's and 70's and ends with those born in the late 70's and 80's ending with 1982.
Gen Y / Millennials are those born in the mid 70's up to the early 00's.
So, Gen X clearly includes me while Gen Y excludes me. Evidently Jules, you can take your pick!
Claudia, I'll be happy to help you work in the Bieber dig somewhere!
Hey, I just (finally) put you on my blog list! Hope you don't mind my linking. I think your blog is sick (and in a good way!) :) :)
ReplyDeleteSorry everyone! Obviously I need to do some more research about this stuff before I open my big mouth =D
ReplyDeleteSo do you guys think I should pick Gen X or Y?
too funny. yeah I was a bit taken abcak by that commercial too and I thought...hmmm interesting that sick is used that way in a commercial.
ReplyDeleteI am a gen xer too.
OH that is too funny! I cannot STAND Justin Bieber, and my 9 yr old LOVES him. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteMolly
Who the hell is Justin Bieber? You mean Justin BEAVER? Call the boy by his God given name already.
ReplyDeleteI don't let my kids wear his face on their body either. Or Miley Montana either.
I agree with everything. This should have been a sermon!
ReplyDelete:)
I share your agony. Here in New England it is the indiscriminate use of the word WICKED. As in: My mom makes Wicked decent Mac'n Cheese. That was a wicked 'pissa concert. What????? I was born and raised to believe wicked is bad, as in evil, wrong..etc. ARGH.
ReplyDeleteBTW I still find myself randomly laughing out loud when ever I think of your WICKED creative cuss words: In particular: F---ktard Moron or Skanken-ho can both have me in tears laughing in no time....
not to do any bubble bursting but Southern California, 1977, gnarly was all over the place. really. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, although released in 1982, was behing the times! i promise!
ReplyDeletebut you can still use it!
i am not only old, i am also generous!
I am generation O (for old). I was not very "current" with the slang even then...."cool" and "neat" being about as extreme as I got. I tended to use Jane Austen words instead. During Jane's day she railed about the misuse of the word "nice" to mean - well "nice"...when it was, apparently, supposed to REALLY mean "perfect" or "tidy" or something like that. I remember being totally enchanted to see Jane Austen characters annoying their elders.
ReplyDeleteGen-Xer here and I think we had some great slang. Dork, (I'm one), kickin, geek, boss, etc. I'm so there.
ReplyDeleteNo Miley's, Justin's, or anyone else is going on my kid's body. Nope. This makes it extremely hard to find jammies.
LMAO
ReplyDeleteFully sick* post Essie!
*Bogan aussie slang.
We used wicked too, back in the day. As in "wicked good". Remember? BTW, I am totally with you on the Justin Jammies.
ReplyDeleteHere's a conundrum for you, then, if you don't like "sick" meaning "good". You quoted Michael Jackson yourself. What about "bad"? "I'm bad, I'm bad..." :) :) :)
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ReplyDeleteGen-Xer here. Essie, hate to break it to you but sick has been around for a long time... in fact once it's penetrating mainstream media, it's pretty much dead. So maybe that's good news!
ReplyDeleteI miss the 80s. Some of my favs were: sweet, mint, phat and dope!
And how can y'all be hating on the Biebs like that?! lol My 8-year-old loves him, I listen along (cuz I make sure I'm reading/listening/watching everything that she is) and he's really not that bad. In fact I think he has some real potential to be more than just a teenie bopper... all depends on how he transperses (did I just make up that word?) the transition to adulthood. I think it'll be interesting to watch.
And I confess, I let my girl wear JB t-shirts... but I did draw the line at the ones that said "Future Mrs. Bieber"... she's freaking eight!
But I did laugh my ass off when he was referred to as Buskin' Beaver in a play we saw over the holidays! (The character was a beaver magically turned into a street performer/popstar wannabe.) HA!
See....I'm born in '69 and would NOT consider myself Gen X. At all. I though we were the "Baby Bust" generation--following the Baby Boomers.
ReplyDeleteWe FINALLY found some cute cotton jammies at Lindex. (It's Swedish. Has it made it to the US yet? Maybe online?) And they didn't cost a fortune.
Old Navy did cute cotton jammies until size 5...
Like totally, gag me with a spoon and gross me out the door. Like, I was so totally valley girl cool, and the 80's were my times. Between my crimping iron and hair spray I had Humongous hair. Maybe a picture to follow??
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