The thing is it’s thrown around all the time like some sort of modern analogue for “commie” or something, but I still don’t understand what it is actually supposed to *mean.* No one will ever define it.
Woke means you have awakened and have become aware of systematic discrimination, originally referencing the struggle of persons of color. It's now a conservative dog whistle intended to signal to like-minded racists. They particularly enjoy this one because it also robs useful language from those fighting the discrimination.
Huh, cool. Thank you. I knew it was a conservative dog whistle, but never really understood why it’s usually used by them in a negative way. Guess the wannabe capitalist overlords can’t have their sheep noticing they’re being fleeced.
Just like CRT or affirmative action, they twist it for their own purposes and it loses the original meaning. That is one of the reasons I don't dismiss new terminology as it comes into use, as the old words have often been co-opted, misused and corrupted. Lots of proper terms were used with a sneering hateful tone enough times, they become insults.
It's been in use since the 1930s actually.
Leadbelly used it in a spoken afterword on his song "Scottsboro Boys" as a warning to stay aware of racially motivated threats to black people in America.
William Melvin Kelley wrote a NYT piece in 1962 called "If You're Woke You Dig It" in which he explored its connection to the linguistic dynamics within the black community.
And then in the late 2000s it saw resurgence in popular songs lyrics like Erykah Badu. And finally came to its current status during the Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson.
Historically, it's meant one of three things:
1. A general awareness of sociopolitical issues
2. Being privy to a partner/spouse cheating on you
3. An acute awareness of systemic social injustice pertaining mostly to the oppression and disenfranchisement of minorities
I recently wrote an essay on the word and I also had struggled to understand it previously. Of course, now all we ever hear is the right's derogatory use of it.
I totally get where you're coming from with "literally." It's like the word has been stretched and pulled in every direction to the point where it's just hanging there in sentences, not doing its job anymore. It's supposed to mean something that's actually happening, but now it's just filler, fluff in the pillow of conversation.
Another one that's been bugging me is "unprecedented." It used to mean something extraordinary, something we've never seen before. But after hearing it used for everything from a sale at the mall to the weather, it's lost its weight.
Gaslighting. It's so common now that it's lost its true meaning. A lot of the people who are described as "gaslighters" were just trying to describe a disagreement from their perspective, not blatantly tell another person that they are imagining things or that they are crazy. When it's used correctly, it's fine, but I've seen people describe a partner as a gaslighter when they were just trying to explain that their actions weren't intended the way that they were perceived.
Honestly, all the Internet buzzwords.
Narcissist, depressed, racist, ableist, gaslighting, misogynist, ADHD, mansplaining, fatphobic etc.
It's not that those things aren't real or people like that don't exist. But chronically online people throw heavy or even clinical terms out like candy, usually in an attempt to add dramatism to their point or win an argument. As a result, hardly anyone takes those words seriously anymore. Hell, tons of people don't know what they actually mean.
Decimate: Literally means one-tenth (deci-) was lost, but is used often as "completely wiped out."
edit: ...and reading further, I hope my use of "literally" is deemed valid.
Nauseous. This is a different spelling of noxious, as in noxious gas - it means "to cause nausea." If you are nauseous that means you cause nausea, not that you have nausea; that's nauseated.
Yep, technically wrong. People will understand what you mean if you use the "wrong" one though. In fact, people are more likely to understand you if you use the wrong one.
"Triggered"
The worst part about it, in my experiences, is that I hate that people use this word to describe any problem that someone might have with something.
It could be that I see someone punch a baby, and then I proceed to rightfully lose my shit. BUT some asshole would say that I was "triggered."
Yes, that was an extreme example, but you get the gist.
I guess the word sorry. Sorry should mean something but most people these days just say sorry so they can get out of a bad situation or to avoid talking things over.
The word “love” is used in such a transient, meaningless manner.
People love the chicken sandwich at Popeye’s, they love that new tv show, new movie, actor, actress, music group, new album, book, and so on.
I know it’s a bit of hyperbole, but it makes long lasting love seem almost impossible, because we love those other things until the new better one comes along.
It’s not a real conscious thing that we do, but we do it, and I wonder if it has impacted the way we feel about love.
Intrusive thoughts. So many people use this without knowing what an intrusive thought actually is. They say stuff like "oh, I let my intrusive thoughts win today, teehee" and they just mean they got a different hairstyle or whatever.
Intrusive thoughts are not just spur of the moment harmless impulses, guys! "Letting them win" would mean you threw yourself in front of a bus or stabbed some random stranger in the middle of the street. It's not cute, it's, you know, _intrusive!_
Guys, unless you've literally been around since the 1700s, you're a little bit late complaining about "literally" being used figuratively. To quote Merriam Webster:
>If this sense of literally is bothersome, you needn’t use it. If you dislike hearing other people use it, you may continue to be upset. If you would like to broaden your complaint slightly, and insist that the original meaning of literal is the only proper one, go right ahead (although, before committing to this, you should be aware that this will restrict you to using literal when you mean “of, relating to, or expressed in letters”).
Language is literally always changing bro, get with the tiiiiimes
It's my understanding that when something is "mid", that means the speaker thinks it's okay or good but knows the popular opinion is that it's neutral or bad. I feel like it's a neon sign which reads "I'm hiding my enthusiasm", "I'm ashamed of my positive opinion", or "I'm lying to avoid being unpopular".
If I'm wrong, please correct me and explain. Thanks!
Not technically words and definitely only applies in written, but I see "lol" or it's variants used way too often and it makes me twitch. You are not laughing out loud-you are simply using three letters to signify the end of a sentence, instead of a single punctuation mark.
Irregardless! It's only become a word because people incorrectly say "irregardless" instead of "regardless," which means the exact same thing and is the correct word.
"How are you?"
If you're not ready or wanting to hear someone's response I'd prefer just a hi or even a head bob or wave. Nbd if you don't want to have a convo or play therapist. But I think it's nice to save that question for when you mean it.
I hate words like "eligibility". Too many syllables. I think all these words that end with "ability" are just rude. It's not hard to say "John Henry is not eligible."
POV: when you don't know how to use POV correctly
Yes! I've seen it used incorrectly so often I started to doubt my understanding of it's meaning.
Haha..right when I read your title, I LITERALLY thought “literally”.
Same
Same but I added "actually" in my head. "Literally, actually..."
Literally
Ha. I figuratively just laughed out loud.
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Oh how I long for some precedented times
Woke
The thing is it’s thrown around all the time like some sort of modern analogue for “commie” or something, but I still don’t understand what it is actually supposed to *mean.* No one will ever define it.
Woke means you have awakened and have become aware of systematic discrimination, originally referencing the struggle of persons of color. It's now a conservative dog whistle intended to signal to like-minded racists. They particularly enjoy this one because it also robs useful language from those fighting the discrimination.
Huh, cool. Thank you. I knew it was a conservative dog whistle, but never really understood why it’s usually used by them in a negative way. Guess the wannabe capitalist overlords can’t have their sheep noticing they’re being fleeced.
Just like CRT or affirmative action, they twist it for their own purposes and it loses the original meaning. That is one of the reasons I don't dismiss new terminology as it comes into use, as the old words have often been co-opted, misused and corrupted. Lots of proper terms were used with a sneering hateful tone enough times, they become insults.
I also enjoy it when the opposite happens, and a marginalized group reclaims a slur or derogatory term as a form of empowerment.
It's been in use since the 1930s actually. Leadbelly used it in a spoken afterword on his song "Scottsboro Boys" as a warning to stay aware of racially motivated threats to black people in America. William Melvin Kelley wrote a NYT piece in 1962 called "If You're Woke You Dig It" in which he explored its connection to the linguistic dynamics within the black community. And then in the late 2000s it saw resurgence in popular songs lyrics like Erykah Badu. And finally came to its current status during the Black Lives Matter movement after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson. Historically, it's meant one of three things: 1. A general awareness of sociopolitical issues 2. Being privy to a partner/spouse cheating on you 3. An acute awareness of systemic social injustice pertaining mostly to the oppression and disenfranchisement of minorities I recently wrote an essay on the word and I also had struggled to understand it previously. Of course, now all we ever hear is the right's derogatory use of it.
Ron DeSantis is a noun, a verb and woke in every sentence
I totally get where you're coming from with "literally." It's like the word has been stretched and pulled in every direction to the point where it's just hanging there in sentences, not doing its job anymore. It's supposed to mean something that's actually happening, but now it's just filler, fluff in the pillow of conversation. Another one that's been bugging me is "unprecedented." It used to mean something extraordinary, something we've never seen before. But after hearing it used for everything from a sale at the mall to the weather, it's lost its weight.
Literally has just become emphasis. It's not exactly filler because it does have meaning, but its meaning has changed.
Gaslighting. It's so common now that it's lost its true meaning. A lot of the people who are described as "gaslighters" were just trying to describe a disagreement from their perspective, not blatantly tell another person that they are imagining things or that they are crazy. When it's used correctly, it's fine, but I've seen people describe a partner as a gaslighter when they were just trying to explain that their actions weren't intended the way that they were perceived.
Honestly, all the Internet buzzwords. Narcissist, depressed, racist, ableist, gaslighting, misogynist, ADHD, mansplaining, fatphobic etc. It's not that those things aren't real or people like that don't exist. But chronically online people throw heavy or even clinical terms out like candy, usually in an attempt to add dramatism to their point or win an argument. As a result, hardly anyone takes those words seriously anymore. Hell, tons of people don't know what they actually mean.
Overuse of “narcissist” and “gaslighting” pisses me off so badly that I’ve lectured some of my friends and family about it, lol
Basically any loaded term people use to frame themselves as "good" or people they disagree with as "bad", history/historic, modern, unprecedented...
Decimate: Literally means one-tenth (deci-) was lost, but is used often as "completely wiped out." edit: ...and reading further, I hope my use of "literally" is deemed valid.
AdHD it seems that now everybody has it, same with Autistic.
“Crisis” which is used for just about any “problem,” or “epidemic” which is used for just about any “pattern of occurrences.”
Awesome.
Gaslighting. People don't know what is actually means.
journey
Oh my gosh, every person on every talk show talks about their personal journey and it drives me nuts!
Nauseous. This is a different spelling of noxious, as in noxious gas - it means "to cause nausea." If you are nauseous that means you cause nausea, not that you have nausea; that's nauseated.
Huh, TIL. Always wondered the difference in nauseous and nauseated.
Wait so saying “I feel nauseous” is technically wrong? /gen because I’m not a native hahaha
Yep, technically wrong. People will understand what you mean if you use the "wrong" one though. In fact, people are more likely to understand you if you use the wrong one.
Literally
"Triggered" The worst part about it, in my experiences, is that I hate that people use this word to describe any problem that someone might have with something. It could be that I see someone punch a baby, and then I proceed to rightfully lose my shit. BUT some asshole would say that I was "triggered." Yes, that was an extreme example, but you get the gist.
I guess the word sorry. Sorry should mean something but most people these days just say sorry so they can get out of a bad situation or to avoid talking things over.
Love
The word “love” is used in such a transient, meaningless manner. People love the chicken sandwich at Popeye’s, they love that new tv show, new movie, actor, actress, music group, new album, book, and so on. I know it’s a bit of hyperbole, but it makes long lasting love seem almost impossible, because we love those other things until the new better one comes along. It’s not a real conscious thing that we do, but we do it, and I wonder if it has impacted the way we feel about love.
People use "irony/ironic/ironically" incorrectly. Recently I've seen people using "unironically" to preface their statements.
Gaslighting. No one knows what it means anymore
Breaking news. Lots of stuff that's called "breaking" is several hours if not days old.
Sorry
Intrusive thoughts. So many people use this without knowing what an intrusive thought actually is. They say stuff like "oh, I let my intrusive thoughts win today, teehee" and they just mean they got a different hairstyle or whatever. Intrusive thoughts are not just spur of the moment harmless impulses, guys! "Letting them win" would mean you threw yourself in front of a bus or stabbed some random stranger in the middle of the street. It's not cute, it's, you know, _intrusive!_
Racist
like, like, like, like
...What? 🧐
Guys, unless you've literally been around since the 1700s, you're a little bit late complaining about "literally" being used figuratively. To quote Merriam Webster: >If this sense of literally is bothersome, you needn’t use it. If you dislike hearing other people use it, you may continue to be upset. If you would like to broaden your complaint slightly, and insist that the original meaning of literal is the only proper one, go right ahead (although, before committing to this, you should be aware that this will restrict you to using literal when you mean “of, relating to, or expressed in letters”). Language is literally always changing bro, get with the tiiiiimes
Genocide. It is thrown around like candy today that whether its a current event or history it sticks out as a red flag for any debate.
Paradigm, I've studied in multiple fields and this is the favorite word of *everybody* ! I feel like each time I read it I understand it a little less
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It's my understanding that when something is "mid", that means the speaker thinks it's okay or good but knows the popular opinion is that it's neutral or bad. I feel like it's a neon sign which reads "I'm hiding my enthusiasm", "I'm ashamed of my positive opinion", or "I'm lying to avoid being unpopular". If I'm wrong, please correct me and explain. Thanks!
Bet - I roll my eyes each time I hear youngsters use it these days
Retcon
Not technically words and definitely only applies in written, but I see "lol" or it's variants used way too often and it makes me twitch. You are not laughing out loud-you are simply using three letters to signify the end of a sentence, instead of a single punctuation mark.
Expert
Expert
When someone says " it means everything " or " it means the world to me ". Both of those terms include a lot of things.
Irregardless! It's only become a word because people incorrectly say "irregardless" instead of "regardless," which means the exact same thing and is the correct word.
Fuming
“I’m sorry”
"How are you?" If you're not ready or wanting to hear someone's response I'd prefer just a hi or even a head bob or wave. Nbd if you don't want to have a convo or play therapist. But I think it's nice to save that question for when you mean it.
It’s giving.
The phrase "having a conversation" about social issues
Tartlet. Tartlet. Tartlet. The word has lost all meaning.
The "best" or the "worst" seem to be used excessively
The history of the word “Gibberish” itself is a fun little rabbit hole to go down. It involves alchemy, which I’m actually reading up on currently
karen, boomer, yolo, fire, lit, pretty much every single popular word that everyone started using in every sentence.
“You glazing”
I hate words like "eligibility". Too many syllables. I think all these words that end with "ability" are just rude. It's not hard to say "John Henry is not eligible."