'Truthiness' - More Linguistic Ruination
There are three words I cannot tolerate hearing; similarily, my mind cringes like when an old school teacher runs her fingernails across a slate chalkboard to gain attention with a class full of numbskulls.
Before I explain the whys and wherefores of my dilemma, I present a brief historical overview, up to, and including the present linguistics contained within today's society.
In 1962 the radio air waves in North America brought us a new sound called: The Mersey Beat, music from England. The band was an unknown entity called: The Beatles and everyone complained the spelling was wrong. Parents across the land became very concerned about how their teenagers and younger children were hoarding around the radios, screaming for their new-found in-thing: The Beatles.
I remember my mother saying, after I asked for one of those pure leather "Beatle caps", that this music, this band, and these crazy styles are all a "passing fad". That statement was made round-about 1964.
Today, we are facing another change in style and in music: RAP. I will not make the error that my mother made over 40 years ago, but I only will pray that this music is only a "passing fad" and that it will simply just go away; it is for two reasons I say this.
In 1962 the radio air waves in North America brought us a new sound called: The Mersey Beat, music from England. The band was an unknown entity called: The Beatles and everyone complained the spelling was wrong. Parents across the land became very concerned about how their teenagers and younger children were hoarding around the radios, screaming for their new-found in-thing: The Beatles.
I remember my mother saying, after I asked for one of those pure leather "Beatle caps", that this music, this band, and these crazy styles are all a "passing fad". That statement was made round-about 1964.
Today, we are facing another change in style and in music: RAP. I will not make the error that my mother made over 40 years ago, but I only will pray that this music is only a "passing fad" and that it will simply just go away; it is for two reasons I say this.
- Rap lyrics and stylistic projectionisms promote a movement that is against the morals that this society has been founded upon.
- Rap lyrics and its condensations against police, women, and immoralistic projections in general, promote hatred and helps lead young people to a life of crime, drugs, and jail or death.
Rap - rap - rap - pleeze go a way - and - don' - cum bak - an nudder - d a y!
Here is my lingual problem that, not only what Rap music produces but society in general, the problem is that the media and the manufacturing sector are climbing on this linguistic nightmare, thus creating a society that not only cannot read properly, or for that matter they do not read at all, they cannot speak the "King's English", and for all intense and purposes: they "don't give a shit".
Do you know what the "King's English" is and what it stands for? Probably not eh...Maybe you do...
Getting back on track here, to explain the words above: "Like" and "Absolutely".
A note of subjection: These three words are used by lazy orators. People whose minds have become benumbed due to an insensitive lack of exercising of their cranium innards. Both words are used as filler in conversation when it actually hurts the cells when forced to think. However, these words have become such common place that as a University student says that when these words are not used in a sentence, "it would sound weird [without them]".
LIKE: This word was used in the 1930's as in jazz sessions that proposed a slang that was used by the lower classes, the ignorant ones of proper English language. To be cool, the upper classes grabbed onto this word, trying to sound "cool" and of course the word has now regenerated and has become the norm for today's conversations. In fact, if you do not use this word, well, obviously you do not fit it, you are not "cool" man!
But the most important factor of the use of this word "like" that bothers me is that it is used by people who do not think...They do not fulfill their part of a conversation: "It is like, you know." They change the subject here and now we are lost, as they are, forever. For God's sake, please complete a thought, if at all possible.
WHATEVER: Whenever I hear someone saying this I just want to smack them out of "whatever" characterization they are attempting to portray. Is it that they simply do not give an damn about something? Fine, but at least explain the WHY or WHY NOT? This word is used for "social significance", a term used for one to feel they "fit-in" with their peers. Sad.
Again, as with the usage of "LIKE", this word connotes a negativity, but more importantly, it generates the message that this person either does not know any more on the current topic at hand, or that they could not care less about the topic at all and simply want to move along, verbally speaking of course.
ABSOLUTELY: Media people are abusing this word by the second. Someone says something, and quit possibly the listener knows nothing about the subject, but to seem knowledgeable without the having to explain why, they simply insert the term: "Absolutely" and everyone is supposed to think that this person knows it all and we move on to another topic. All-in-all, nobody is finishing a conversation...At the very least the listeners are not contributing, only acknowledging that they know it "Absolutely".
basically, people do not take the time to explain themselves anymore. Is it a fact that they do not have the ability to do so? Or is it simply that they are too rushed to think? Or is a matter of pure ignorance, a lack of education through reading good literary novels?
I do know that George Orwell is turning over in his grave as I write this Blog.
Do yourself a favour and read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" and see just how the movers and shakers manipulate our minds.
Here is my lingual problem that, not only what Rap music produces but society in general, the problem is that the media and the manufacturing sector are climbing on this linguistic nightmare, thus creating a society that not only cannot read properly, or for that matter they do not read at all, they cannot speak the "King's English", and for all intense and purposes: they "don't give a shit".
Do you know what the "King's English" is and what it stands for? Probably not eh...Maybe you do...
Getting back on track here, to explain the words above: "Like" and "Absolutely".
A note of subjection: These three words are used by lazy orators. People whose minds have become benumbed due to an insensitive lack of exercising of their cranium innards. Both words are used as filler in conversation when it actually hurts the cells when forced to think. However, these words have become such common place that as a University student says that when these words are not used in a sentence, "it would sound weird [without them]".
LIKE: This word was used in the 1930's as in jazz sessions that proposed a slang that was used by the lower classes, the ignorant ones of proper English language. To be cool, the upper classes grabbed onto this word, trying to sound "cool" and of course the word has now regenerated and has become the norm for today's conversations. In fact, if you do not use this word, well, obviously you do not fit it, you are not "cool" man!
But the most important factor of the use of this word "like" that bothers me is that it is used by people who do not think...They do not fulfill their part of a conversation: "It is like, you know." They change the subject here and now we are lost, as they are, forever. For God's sake, please complete a thought, if at all possible.
WHATEVER: Whenever I hear someone saying this I just want to smack them out of "whatever" characterization they are attempting to portray. Is it that they simply do not give an damn about something? Fine, but at least explain the WHY or WHY NOT? This word is used for "social significance", a term used for one to feel they "fit-in" with their peers. Sad.
Again, as with the usage of "LIKE", this word connotes a negativity, but more importantly, it generates the message that this person either does not know any more on the current topic at hand, or that they could not care less about the topic at all and simply want to move along, verbally speaking of course.
ABSOLUTELY: Media people are abusing this word by the second. Someone says something, and quit possibly the listener knows nothing about the subject, but to seem knowledgeable without the having to explain why, they simply insert the term: "Absolutely" and everyone is supposed to think that this person knows it all and we move on to another topic. All-in-all, nobody is finishing a conversation...At the very least the listeners are not contributing, only acknowledging that they know it "Absolutely".
basically, people do not take the time to explain themselves anymore. Is it a fact that they do not have the ability to do so? Or is it simply that they are too rushed to think? Or is a matter of pure ignorance, a lack of education through reading good literary novels?
I do know that George Orwell is turning over in his grave as I write this Blog.
Do yourself a favour and read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" and see just how the movers and shakers manipulate our minds.
posted by Gregory West - Computer Instructor & Freelance Writer @ 07:52
1 Comments
1 Comments:
You may want to look at making your blog template and posts W3C Valid as in your latest blog entry I had to look at the source to see all ot it's content. Their was a paragraph missing otherwise.
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fgregorywest.blogspot.com%2F
If you need help I can lend a hand. Standards are what the web needs. :)
I agree with the content of this blog post when speaking reletive to the words being used along but they have a place in structured english (as I believe you attempted to convay).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home