Friday, April 17, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
You Can't Speak
2 4 6 8
You can still even. 3579; Oh look you can odd too. Literally. You're capable of it; It's not that difficult....if you need to go back to kindergarten to help you out I'm sure it can be arranged...
I will never understand why people think an adequate response to disbelief is: "I can't even." It's such a ridiculously air-headed expression that I question what was so difficult about saying, "I don't believe it." At least that's a complete thought that doesn't directly challenege your own intellectual capacity.
Worse than the already irritating inability to even is the thrown in, "I LITERALLY cannot even." Well, math class must have been a real grueling task for you; I hope you were at least able to odd.
I'll never fully apprehend why this term came into use and why people think it's a good idea to circulate it, not just daily, but minutely. It has become the default response to every minor shock.
Dropped your pencil. Can't even.
Teacher asks for homework. Out of luck, cause apparently you can't even.
You have five minutes to get to class. How have you survived, because you can't even.
It's a real verbal epidemic that today's lingo has become so lazy and faulty it halts in meaningless expressions of surprise. The first time I heard someone use this phrase, I waited in pending silence for what it was this person could no longer do. I remember asking my friend one time what it was specifically that she could not even attempt and her useless reply was, "I just can't even." That's descriptive. Thanks I completely grasp what has stumped you and your level of intrigue now.
The difficulty of finishing a thought and profusely expressing the exact means of what has tripped you up must have entered computer mode if everyone's best rebuttal to news is that they can't even. I'd like to know under what circumstances they can even, and if there's ever a point where they've lost the ability to odd as well. Once both of those are gone will people turn to I can't zero?
You can still even. 3579; Oh look you can odd too. Literally. You're capable of it; It's not that difficult....if you need to go back to kindergarten to help you out I'm sure it can be arranged...
I will never understand why people think an adequate response to disbelief is: "I can't even." It's such a ridiculously air-headed expression that I question what was so difficult about saying, "I don't believe it." At least that's a complete thought that doesn't directly challenege your own intellectual capacity.
Worse than the already irritating inability to even is the thrown in, "I LITERALLY cannot even." Well, math class must have been a real grueling task for you; I hope you were at least able to odd.
I'll never fully apprehend why this term came into use and why people think it's a good idea to circulate it, not just daily, but minutely. It has become the default response to every minor shock.
Dropped your pencil. Can't even.
Teacher asks for homework. Out of luck, cause apparently you can't even.
You have five minutes to get to class. How have you survived, because you can't even.
It's a real verbal epidemic that today's lingo has become so lazy and faulty it halts in meaningless expressions of surprise. The first time I heard someone use this phrase, I waited in pending silence for what it was this person could no longer do. I remember asking my friend one time what it was specifically that she could not even attempt and her useless reply was, "I just can't even." That's descriptive. Thanks I completely grasp what has stumped you and your level of intrigue now.
The difficulty of finishing a thought and profusely expressing the exact means of what has tripped you up must have entered computer mode if everyone's best rebuttal to news is that they can't even. I'd like to know under what circumstances they can even, and if there's ever a point where they've lost the ability to odd as well. Once both of those are gone will people turn to I can't zero?
Love It, Hate It
I love this show. I love this pizza. I just love your hair. Oh my gosh I love your eyes. I love what you did. I love my phone. I love this pen. I love that book. I freaking love loving everything.
It's no wonder so many girls mistake infatuation for love; public language makes it as prevalent as the word 'the.' It's everywhere and attached to everything. The word has lost so much volition in its excessive use. People proclaim it so habitually, and to inane situations and objects.
The word love has become an obsession. People are so quick to spout it that nearly every girl my age has said it to every "significant" other they've had, within weeks! They croon about how he's the only one for them, and their irrevocable undying love for them, then a week later they're broken up and moved on to the REAL one true love....until the following week dictates that too was a farce. At sixteen I'm undoubtedly full of doubt and the only fact I remain sure of is: that love is an emotion that comes from mature relationships, or rather relationships not fostered in high school cafeterias.
Just as people are quick to love, they are to hate. Really, hate is more applied to people than love which sees more purchase in material objects incapable of reciprocating such willful emotions. People spout the word hate as if they're saying something as ordinary and undeniable as 1+1=2.
"I hate that b****."
"Oh how do you know her?"
"Well, I see her everyday and she just looks like a b****."
The ability of people to declare hate on others they've never so much as looked at further than a passing glance is unfathomable and yet a common occurrence. Depth may extend as far as having actually conversed with the person, but still the reasons for hatred tend to be so shallowly immature. She hates her because she's dating her ex-boyfriend and he hates her because she asked him to move one time. The amazing condition of this quickly founded hatred is its endurance and absolution. People will stick by these initial disfavors as if the person killed their father; not allowing any kindness to sway their perception. We are obstinate creatures; stubborn and yet flaky; never content but convicted in extreme proclamations. We maintain grudges even when the incident is retrospectively a childish mistake; once we've coined the word hate we feel the need to justify it in total commitment; a weird contradiction to our lovely finickiness when it pertains to love. Hate more derives from our personal flaws and insecurities, though; so I suppose it'd be easier to commit to that which discomforts us versus the elusive grasp we have on where we want to ultimately end up content. Love has more to do with our environment and how we interact with that and those in it, while hatred is introspection turned outward and warped by jealousy. It's a lot harder to commit to something that makes you happy than something that makes you unhappy, because our happiness is so indefinite and manipulative. The real love-hate relationships are the ones we have with ourselves as we attempt to find a balance through external relationships and influences. We are so quick to either love it or hate it from the get-go because we feel like we have to be one or the other. People are so adamant about going all in and living life to it's fullest that we recklessly assume that equates extreme action and perception. The reality is that life is a progression and that love and hate are culminating processes that go beyond simple verbal expression. You have to be willing to slow down and take the time to find out what you really and truly love and hate in order for you to find yourself in love with where you've ended up in life. The issue with love and hate is that everyone's all about it in idea, but no one's about it in action. We talk it, but we rarely walk it. Words are easy, it's backing them up with action that gives them real meaning. Language serves as an opt out for conveying through action and emotion. If it's really love or hate you won't be saying it at every chance, because you won't need to.
It's no wonder so many girls mistake infatuation for love; public language makes it as prevalent as the word 'the.' It's everywhere and attached to everything. The word has lost so much volition in its excessive use. People proclaim it so habitually, and to inane situations and objects.
The word love has become an obsession. People are so quick to spout it that nearly every girl my age has said it to every "significant" other they've had, within weeks! They croon about how he's the only one for them, and their irrevocable undying love for them, then a week later they're broken up and moved on to the REAL one true love....until the following week dictates that too was a farce. At sixteen I'm undoubtedly full of doubt and the only fact I remain sure of is: that love is an emotion that comes from mature relationships, or rather relationships not fostered in high school cafeterias.
Just as people are quick to love, they are to hate. Really, hate is more applied to people than love which sees more purchase in material objects incapable of reciprocating such willful emotions. People spout the word hate as if they're saying something as ordinary and undeniable as 1+1=2.
"I hate that b****."
"Oh how do you know her?"
"Well, I see her everyday and she just looks like a b****."
The ability of people to declare hate on others they've never so much as looked at further than a passing glance is unfathomable and yet a common occurrence. Depth may extend as far as having actually conversed with the person, but still the reasons for hatred tend to be so shallowly immature. She hates her because she's dating her ex-boyfriend and he hates her because she asked him to move one time. The amazing condition of this quickly founded hatred is its endurance and absolution. People will stick by these initial disfavors as if the person killed their father; not allowing any kindness to sway their perception. We are obstinate creatures; stubborn and yet flaky; never content but convicted in extreme proclamations. We maintain grudges even when the incident is retrospectively a childish mistake; once we've coined the word hate we feel the need to justify it in total commitment; a weird contradiction to our lovely finickiness when it pertains to love. Hate more derives from our personal flaws and insecurities, though; so I suppose it'd be easier to commit to that which discomforts us versus the elusive grasp we have on where we want to ultimately end up content. Love has more to do with our environment and how we interact with that and those in it, while hatred is introspection turned outward and warped by jealousy. It's a lot harder to commit to something that makes you happy than something that makes you unhappy, because our happiness is so indefinite and manipulative. The real love-hate relationships are the ones we have with ourselves as we attempt to find a balance through external relationships and influences. We are so quick to either love it or hate it from the get-go because we feel like we have to be one or the other. People are so adamant about going all in and living life to it's fullest that we recklessly assume that equates extreme action and perception. The reality is that life is a progression and that love and hate are culminating processes that go beyond simple verbal expression. You have to be willing to slow down and take the time to find out what you really and truly love and hate in order for you to find yourself in love with where you've ended up in life. The issue with love and hate is that everyone's all about it in idea, but no one's about it in action. We talk it, but we rarely walk it. Words are easy, it's backing them up with action that gives them real meaning. Language serves as an opt out for conveying through action and emotion. If it's really love or hate you won't be saying it at every chance, because you won't need to.
It's Softball Baby
Context is key.
Certain scenarios and settings allow for a much more lax use of language.
At formal events-even at school- there are expressions and words I do not use that become a key component of my language on the softball field. From the moment I lace up my cleats and walk onto that dirt I'm jawing off. I'm talking to my pitcher, my catcher, my infield, my outfield; and suddenly everyone's either baby or kid.
In casual conversation I would never turn to my friend and say, "Nice job baby." In fact, I detest the term of endearment "baby" for couples. On the field, though, baby falls into my phrases like it's someone's name.
"Hits all day baby!"
"That's what I'm talkin' about baby!"
It's just a natural fit-in; so is kid. I'm the youngest player in the infield but I still call my pitcher kid. In school that would be stupid and unnecessary, but on the diamond it has a ring to it.
"Keep doing what you're doing kid!"
"You got it kid; all day!"
Certain words that find no purchase from me habitually, are regular additives in my softball jargon. The language on a ball diamond is a whole new breed. Common and ordinary phrases take on a taunting tone on the field:
"Beautiful eyes!!"
"Way to wear it kid!"
"Ring her up!"
Even just read these phrases have a different quality to them then when they're coined on the field. A non-softball player would read these and probably have little to no reference of what aspect of the game these are concerned with, but for me they are a vital aspect of the game.
First comes skill, then experience; equally prevalent is communication though. It's imperative that you are constantly talking with your teammates, even if the words serve no instructional purpose. Jawing during the game boosts the overall mood and incites an energy into the performance.
I really enjoy the vivacious qualities of public language in the midst of a softball game; when my team is hitting my face is pressed to that dugout fence; the cold metal biting into the tip of my nose and caught in a white-knuckled grip as my lips are moving, calling of my teammates numbers as I shout:
"Bonito Ojos!"
"Where'd you get those eyes? Lenscrafters? I need a pair!"
"No golfing Happy!"
"Let's go fourteen divided by two!"
My favorite go to phrase is on a full-count as I shout with a rasp: "WALK IT OR ROCK IT!"
The short phrases and attachments of softball make the game so much greater; it adds personality and a sense of community to what's going on. To any regular person "soft-serve" means a nice sugar rush, but that's what we call weak pitchers. You see the rainbow lobbed over the center of home-plate and you turn to your teammate with a grin and a "Taste the rainbow soft-serve's on the menu today." Then you call out to your catcher as she fires down to two: "CANNON."
The cheetah is the slowest runner; wheels is the fastest; right there with cannon is rocket; then savage. Each player gets their identifying characteristic as their label which right there with their number takes precedence over using actual names. Softball is a community; unique in its design, this originality reflected in the language. A language as hardcore and entertaining as the game itself. When that ball is pitched it all becomes about the Dub (W.)
Certain scenarios and settings allow for a much more lax use of language.
At formal events-even at school- there are expressions and words I do not use that become a key component of my language on the softball field. From the moment I lace up my cleats and walk onto that dirt I'm jawing off. I'm talking to my pitcher, my catcher, my infield, my outfield; and suddenly everyone's either baby or kid.
In casual conversation I would never turn to my friend and say, "Nice job baby." In fact, I detest the term of endearment "baby" for couples. On the field, though, baby falls into my phrases like it's someone's name.
"Hits all day baby!"
"That's what I'm talkin' about baby!"
It's just a natural fit-in; so is kid. I'm the youngest player in the infield but I still call my pitcher kid. In school that would be stupid and unnecessary, but on the diamond it has a ring to it.
"Keep doing what you're doing kid!"
"You got it kid; all day!"
Certain words that find no purchase from me habitually, are regular additives in my softball jargon. The language on a ball diamond is a whole new breed. Common and ordinary phrases take on a taunting tone on the field:
"Beautiful eyes!!"
"Way to wear it kid!"
"Ring her up!"
Even just read these phrases have a different quality to them then when they're coined on the field. A non-softball player would read these and probably have little to no reference of what aspect of the game these are concerned with, but for me they are a vital aspect of the game.
First comes skill, then experience; equally prevalent is communication though. It's imperative that you are constantly talking with your teammates, even if the words serve no instructional purpose. Jawing during the game boosts the overall mood and incites an energy into the performance.
I really enjoy the vivacious qualities of public language in the midst of a softball game; when my team is hitting my face is pressed to that dugout fence; the cold metal biting into the tip of my nose and caught in a white-knuckled grip as my lips are moving, calling of my teammates numbers as I shout:
"Bonito Ojos!"
"Where'd you get those eyes? Lenscrafters? I need a pair!"
"No golfing Happy!"
"Let's go fourteen divided by two!"
My favorite go to phrase is on a full-count as I shout with a rasp: "WALK IT OR ROCK IT!"
The short phrases and attachments of softball make the game so much greater; it adds personality and a sense of community to what's going on. To any regular person "soft-serve" means a nice sugar rush, but that's what we call weak pitchers. You see the rainbow lobbed over the center of home-plate and you turn to your teammate with a grin and a "Taste the rainbow soft-serve's on the menu today." Then you call out to your catcher as she fires down to two: "CANNON."
The cheetah is the slowest runner; wheels is the fastest; right there with cannon is rocket; then savage. Each player gets their identifying characteristic as their label which right there with their number takes precedence over using actual names. Softball is a community; unique in its design, this originality reflected in the language. A language as hardcore and entertaining as the game itself. When that ball is pitched it all becomes about the Dub (W.)
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
One Word
The power of a single word adds to the potency of the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words." When one word already can be used for such a plethora of situations and possesses a multitude of applications, one thousand is a grand and ornately expressive idea. Language is structured so that letters compose words and words compose sentences that compose paragraphs which yield long novels and contemplative texts. These texts contain nouns, verbs, adjectives; and then there's the mess of inversion and gerunds; when to use dependent clauses and what they depend on, but the silly circumstance of public language is that one word can stand alone, conveying a message that doesn't need entire sentences.
Bet. That one word is a challenge. It says 'test me,' 'see if i don't do it.' It is betting on the outcome. "She's going to make all conference. Bet." That one word insinuates the confidence of the speaker, they're not timid about their opinion and are daring you to test them on it. "You wouldn't actually do that." "Bet." That one word says enough in it's connotative and contextual presence that it doesn't require full blown sentences and dragged out explanations. It stands alone in its defiant dare.
Hoe. That word is thrown around like a rag doll amongst teenagers. In one word people debase their peers into cheap, disgraceful characterizations. That one word implies a track record of less than appropriate behavior, and is shameful and cruel in it's three-letter stance. Once it has been attached to a name, that person's image is undoubtedly altered.
The simplicity of one word can wield an extensive power. Single words spark thoughts and are connotative triggers and people utilize this power in everyday speech. One word to sum it all up. One word certain friends understand; one word mocking another peer; one word in place of an entire idea; one word carefully crafted; one word mindfully projected; one word and you've said what you need to. Sometimes one word is all it takes. One. Is. Enough.
Bet. That one word is a challenge. It says 'test me,' 'see if i don't do it.' It is betting on the outcome. "She's going to make all conference. Bet." That one word insinuates the confidence of the speaker, they're not timid about their opinion and are daring you to test them on it. "You wouldn't actually do that." "Bet." That one word says enough in it's connotative and contextual presence that it doesn't require full blown sentences and dragged out explanations. It stands alone in its defiant dare.
Hoe. That word is thrown around like a rag doll amongst teenagers. In one word people debase their peers into cheap, disgraceful characterizations. That one word implies a track record of less than appropriate behavior, and is shameful and cruel in it's three-letter stance. Once it has been attached to a name, that person's image is undoubtedly altered.
The simplicity of one word can wield an extensive power. Single words spark thoughts and are connotative triggers and people utilize this power in everyday speech. One word to sum it all up. One word certain friends understand; one word mocking another peer; one word in place of an entire idea; one word carefully crafted; one word mindfully projected; one word and you've said what you need to. Sometimes one word is all it takes. One. Is. Enough.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
What I Can't Say
Interesting to me is people's adamant defense of not being racist. More and more it seems people are tip-toeing around what they want to say, for fear of it being misinterpreted. A teacher in a history class cannot say the word 'nigger' when discussing historical documents, especially if he is a white teacher. Yet, everyday in the hallways I must hear that word tossed about at least ten times by the same people that would take immediate offense from hearing it pass the lips of one of their teachers in historically accurate context. There's always big talk about the importance of overcoming racial barriers and eradicating unequal perceptions, and yet in everyday language racial segregation is enforced by free will. Language attempts to appear universal. If you learn English you can master communication with all who speak it; when in reality you can know all of the words, but there are still certain ones you are not allowed to use; certain words others may use around you with unflinching acceptance not so easily achieved were you inclined to use such words.
My friends say the 'n' word to each other, and even to me, but I can't turn around and say it to them. Language is funny in human selectivity and connotation. If I say gringa, it is in a joking manner; but if someone calls me gringa who I'm not friends with, it becomes a personal attack. Language is all about knowing your audience and what is socially acceptable. I can say racist jokes in good humor to my best friend, but I have other friends who would take the joking too seriously.
It doesn't always make sense but it simply is. You can know every language there is and still be limited by your background affiliations. As a white girl if I say, "Ratchet" or "Savage" people shake their heads at me and laugh, because I'm so incredibly not ghetto and those words are in connotation associated with the 'thug life.' My grasp of language in no way assists me for people's racial sensitivities; If I so much as misuse a word or appear to have said something like the 'n' word, I'm a racist and that bold accusation carries a stifling weight on one's reputation.
I can't so much as provide a physical description of someone without being questioned. "Why's he gotta be black?"....Ummm maybe because he's not white. Then people will get bent about why his color should matter. It doesn't, to me; I'm just trying to help you pinpoint who I'm talking about and skin color adds to the visual; apparently it must matter to you what color he is if you're so worked up about it...People are far too sensitive and quick to be offended. They rally for the right to speak and then attack you for exercising the same privilege.
You have to constantly be watching what you say, how you say it, who it is to, where you are; otherwise you're a racist. Or a sexist. Or prejudice.
There's no such thing as freedom of speech; not if you want to maintain a good public image that is.
My friends say the 'n' word to each other, and even to me, but I can't turn around and say it to them. Language is funny in human selectivity and connotation. If I say gringa, it is in a joking manner; but if someone calls me gringa who I'm not friends with, it becomes a personal attack. Language is all about knowing your audience and what is socially acceptable. I can say racist jokes in good humor to my best friend, but I have other friends who would take the joking too seriously.
It doesn't always make sense but it simply is. You can know every language there is and still be limited by your background affiliations. As a white girl if I say, "Ratchet" or "Savage" people shake their heads at me and laugh, because I'm so incredibly not ghetto and those words are in connotation associated with the 'thug life.' My grasp of language in no way assists me for people's racial sensitivities; If I so much as misuse a word or appear to have said something like the 'n' word, I'm a racist and that bold accusation carries a stifling weight on one's reputation.
I can't so much as provide a physical description of someone without being questioned. "Why's he gotta be black?"....Ummm maybe because he's not white. Then people will get bent about why his color should matter. It doesn't, to me; I'm just trying to help you pinpoint who I'm talking about and skin color adds to the visual; apparently it must matter to you what color he is if you're so worked up about it...People are far too sensitive and quick to be offended. They rally for the right to speak and then attack you for exercising the same privilege.
You have to constantly be watching what you say, how you say it, who it is to, where you are; otherwise you're a racist. Or a sexist. Or prejudice.
There's no such thing as freedom of speech; not if you want to maintain a good public image that is.
When Talking Isn't Talking
"Oh ya I know him; we used to talk."
"You talked to him? For how long?"
"Geez, I don't know...everyday in French for a year."
"Just in French? You didn't talk outside of school?"
"Well he sat next to me so...and I mean I saw him once or twice and said hi.."
"Wait you mean you actually talked to him..not.. you know...talked."
Suggestion is a powerful tool, and a confusingly abused one. People have become so casual in their relations that they've resorted to casual expressions of these relations; taking once safely ordinary phrases and distorting them to have much more scandalous implications. People don't date anymore: they kick it or talk. People don't have crushes anymore: they have baes. But then there's the confusion of if bae is actually bae, as in you are in a mutual relationship, or they are bae in the sense that they are in fact your crush. So then why people must use such confusing and complicated terms is beyond my comprehension, as they take established ideas and put blurred labels on them.
Such as with the whole 'talking to' business. I would imagine it stemmed from the commonly coined phrase 'seeing someone,' perhaps appealing to a blind man who didn't find the previous phrase appropriate; nevertheless it's so elusively vague. What exactly does 'talking to them' entail? Are there legitimate conversations being had or is it romantic involvement, and if so is it a developing flirtation on your part or mutual exchange? People have a knack for over-complicating matters; It must be the masochist in us that enjoys the manipulative abilities these phrases allow others. If you're talking to him, that must not be the same as a committed relationship, or else it would have been labeled as such, and because it's so ordinarily talking he possesses the right to talk with other females as well, of course.
He may call you bae, but he never asked you to be his girlfriend, and so doesn't need to meet your parents. It's not like you're committing it, you're only kicking it.
These terms have become popular language, so egregiously present in their hazy entitlements that they eclipse the more structured and up-front lingo of the past. This new slang reflects the time-change. People aren't so conservatively cautious anymore. They're spontaneous, kicking it and talking to everyone. I can't remember the last time I heard of someone going on a date.
A real date.
Where the boy is stuttering as he asks you to dinner, his hands shaking while he opens the door for you; the tremble present as your father grips his hand a little too harshly before allowing him to lead you to his mom's car; and not to the back seat either. The passenger side that is opened for you, because he's a gentleman; and then he takes you to the movie, and doesn't try anything because you're in public, and it's a first date and that requires some measure of restraint and fragility. And then he's dropping you off at your house, asking to do it again sometime, and so you go on a second date. And a third. A fourth. Then by the seventh date he asks if you want to be his girlfriend; and it's official. You're in a relationship. No questioning what he means by calling you 'bae' and asking to 'hang;' it's upfront and endearing; an innocence not exercised in the world of today.
With books like Fifty Shades of Grey and people swinging naked on wrecking balls, conservation is not a practiced notion. People in general have become so casual, that everything is vague and finicky; there's no respect for structure and procession; there's a loss of sanctity and innocent intention. This is reflected in the language. People 'kick it' because they don't commit to it. They don't do relationships anymore, at least not in the traditional sense. There's no careful progression of dates to dating to exclusivity; there's all of this insta-love to go with the instagram. Really it's insta-infatuation, and as quickly as the outdated iPhone is dropped, so is the "relationship" for the newest 'bae.' Really it should be 'baeuseca' because in this age it's really you are 'before anyone else until someone else comes along." There's a loss of commitment and patience in contemporary times. People use wifi to get faster internet and don't value the truth that anything worth having takes time. It's all about the new and it's all as superficial as the shallow titles given to these processions. 'Talking to,' sounds a lot better than 'I made out with them a few times but we aren't committed to each other and so I can't say dating or his side-hoes might try to fight me.'
People have lost their sense of peace; they are now instilled with complication and urgency and this new slang portrays this shallow rapidity.
When I say I'm talking to someone, I literally mean conversing with them; When I say I'm kicking it, I mean my foot is connecting forcefully with it; and the only bae I want to hear about is the one preceded by a color that sponsors a a great quarterback and has cheese heads for fans. (Packers still suck though)
"You talked to him? For how long?"
"Geez, I don't know...everyday in French for a year."
"Just in French? You didn't talk outside of school?"
"Well he sat next to me so...and I mean I saw him once or twice and said hi.."
"Wait you mean you actually talked to him..not.. you know...talked."
Suggestion is a powerful tool, and a confusingly abused one. People have become so casual in their relations that they've resorted to casual expressions of these relations; taking once safely ordinary phrases and distorting them to have much more scandalous implications. People don't date anymore: they kick it or talk. People don't have crushes anymore: they have baes. But then there's the confusion of if bae is actually bae, as in you are in a mutual relationship, or they are bae in the sense that they are in fact your crush. So then why people must use such confusing and complicated terms is beyond my comprehension, as they take established ideas and put blurred labels on them.
Such as with the whole 'talking to' business. I would imagine it stemmed from the commonly coined phrase 'seeing someone,' perhaps appealing to a blind man who didn't find the previous phrase appropriate; nevertheless it's so elusively vague. What exactly does 'talking to them' entail? Are there legitimate conversations being had or is it romantic involvement, and if so is it a developing flirtation on your part or mutual exchange? People have a knack for over-complicating matters; It must be the masochist in us that enjoys the manipulative abilities these phrases allow others. If you're talking to him, that must not be the same as a committed relationship, or else it would have been labeled as such, and because it's so ordinarily talking he possesses the right to talk with other females as well, of course.
He may call you bae, but he never asked you to be his girlfriend, and so doesn't need to meet your parents. It's not like you're committing it, you're only kicking it.
These terms have become popular language, so egregiously present in their hazy entitlements that they eclipse the more structured and up-front lingo of the past. This new slang reflects the time-change. People aren't so conservatively cautious anymore. They're spontaneous, kicking it and talking to everyone. I can't remember the last time I heard of someone going on a date.
A real date.
Where the boy is stuttering as he asks you to dinner, his hands shaking while he opens the door for you; the tremble present as your father grips his hand a little too harshly before allowing him to lead you to his mom's car; and not to the back seat either. The passenger side that is opened for you, because he's a gentleman; and then he takes you to the movie, and doesn't try anything because you're in public, and it's a first date and that requires some measure of restraint and fragility. And then he's dropping you off at your house, asking to do it again sometime, and so you go on a second date. And a third. A fourth. Then by the seventh date he asks if you want to be his girlfriend; and it's official. You're in a relationship. No questioning what he means by calling you 'bae' and asking to 'hang;' it's upfront and endearing; an innocence not exercised in the world of today.
With books like Fifty Shades of Grey and people swinging naked on wrecking balls, conservation is not a practiced notion. People in general have become so casual, that everything is vague and finicky; there's no respect for structure and procession; there's a loss of sanctity and innocent intention. This is reflected in the language. People 'kick it' because they don't commit to it. They don't do relationships anymore, at least not in the traditional sense. There's no careful progression of dates to dating to exclusivity; there's all of this insta-love to go with the instagram. Really it's insta-infatuation, and as quickly as the outdated iPhone is dropped, so is the "relationship" for the newest 'bae.' Really it should be 'baeuseca' because in this age it's really you are 'before anyone else until someone else comes along." There's a loss of commitment and patience in contemporary times. People use wifi to get faster internet and don't value the truth that anything worth having takes time. It's all about the new and it's all as superficial as the shallow titles given to these processions. 'Talking to,' sounds a lot better than 'I made out with them a few times but we aren't committed to each other and so I can't say dating or his side-hoes might try to fight me.'
People have lost their sense of peace; they are now instilled with complication and urgency and this new slang portrays this shallow rapidity.
When I say I'm talking to someone, I literally mean conversing with them; When I say I'm kicking it, I mean my foot is connecting forcefully with it; and the only bae I want to hear about is the one preceded by a color that sponsors a a great quarterback and has cheese heads for fans. (Packers still suck though)
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