I had a birthday recently. They say you're only as old as you feel but all accounts insist I am only 59.
Lately I have been noticing some issues in communicating with people roughly half my age. I believe this is known as a generation gap or some such thing. But it flusters me.
For my birthday one such young person gave me a blank journal titled "Things I Shouldn't Say On The Internet." I could tell she meant it in good natured fashion from her hysterical laughter and that snorting noise she makes when she cracks herself up. Besides, when our families invented Blue Margarita Night she and I discovered we are identically aligned politically so I can only assume she was referring to socially inept and/or inappropriate remarks rather than my politics.
There are plenty of those.
Nonetheless, I have already started writing in the journal as a sort of catharsis to see if I can tone down my political rhetoric on Facebook. It's not really working but I still bet I'll have that journal filled up by the election. It's a couple inches thick.
Which leaves me with my generational communication issues. Language has changed and is changing every day it seems. Not all of it disappoints me. I mean thank God we no longer say something is "groovy" or that a situation is "far out." "Awesome" covers both things and is a way cooler word.
But there are words and expressions to which I may never adjust. For example, I don't seem to be able to get used to "What's up?" merely being a greeting and not an actual question begging an answer. I fear this may irritate my young friends more than it does me and it sure eats up some time.
Also, is "What are you doing?" a common greeting or just something a purchasing agent where I work says just because he knows I hate it? He greets everyone that way so it probably isn't aimed at me. I'm an outside salesperson. There are times I would rather not say what I'm doing. Plus in this age of cell phones where we are never free from our blue tooth tethers, even in the bathroom, it just may not be any of your damn business what I'm doing.
"Hook up" is one that gets me in trouble. My kids have explained it to me but I still don't get the nuances. Somehow you can hook up with a scalper for tickets to a concert and that's ok but then if you say you are going to hook up with your sister before you go to the concert it produces gasps and mortified looks. Well, and sometimes stifled laughter. I know it has something to do with sex but not all the time and I just don't get when you can use it and when you shouldn't.
I understand "dude" and it's many uses pretty well, I think. As a greeting, or an expression of happiness, anger, joy, sorrow, hilarity or tragedy all totally depending on your inflection which does take some practice to perfect. It doesn't work as well as an adjective but it can be done. My problem with "dude" is it just sounds stupid to my ear coming out of anyone's mouth in any context.
I'm just grouchy, I guess. I am 59.
"Sick" is one I have trouble working into my vocabulary too unless I have a tummy ache. It takes me a second to process it when young people use it but I get that it is a good thing when used as an adjective as in, "Those are some sick kicks." ("Those are nice shoes.") I am uncomfortable saying it because it makes me think of vomit and that is never a good thing. Who made up that "sick" would now be a descriptive word to enhance one's perception of something really good or cool?
And then kids still use "sick" like people my age do to describe serial killers and twisted acts and individuals (came so close to getting political there but I edited her name out), and that sometimes throws me.
"Google it" is one I think we all get although I still belabor it a bit as "use the google" because it annoys my daughter to say it that way. Call it a small act of revenge on my part because my kids now fact check everything I assert at Sunday dinner with google rather than just accepting my omniscience like in the good old days.
I know for a fact there are more new words and expressions than this that interfere with my ability to communicate with millennials. I started a list and I know it was longer than this but I can't remember where I put it.
That's another problem with birthdays.
Oh well.
No comments:
Post a Comment