So a friend asked me\u00a0what\u00a0part of speech “right” is. \u00a0Not the old “right” that meant the opposite of left or correct or a conservative wing of politics.<\/p>\n
No, she was referring\u00a0to\u00a0the new “right.” \u00a0The one that is used like,” Angelina looked like a fool at the Oscars–right?! Like she was carrying a skinny white prosthetic leg and sticking it out of her dress periodically. Right?!”<\/p>\n
I pondered her question and as a former English teacher I decided the new “right” is a noun of \u00a0exclamation, affirmation and agreement. \u00a0Right?!<\/p>\n
It’s funny how often I make fun of these buzz words, the words of the moment, “the hear it once–use it three times in a sentence it is yours” words but then, as if by osmosis, they are a part of my own vocabulary.<\/p>\n
This first started with \u00a0me\u00a0when\u00a0my kids were younger and I corrected their constant use of “like.” I would say, “It was like or it was? \u00a0Which was it?” And then, to my own horror and disgust, I would hear myself telling a friend their new habit was “like” my worst\u00a0nightmare. These regular words or phrases with new usage just\u00a0creep in like mud on our shoes after the snow melts. And brush and sweep and try as we may, they burrow into the fabric of our vocabulary and hang out for awhile. At least until the next “it” word arrives and the old is shuttled out with spring cleaning.<\/p>\n
I’ve\u00a0tried\u00a0to follow the origins of these words. \u00a0They don’t just appear like the ghosts in Scrooge’s dreams, but\u00a0practically. With\u00a0email, texting, facebook chatter, twittering, television ads and Siri to the rescue, they break into the\u00a0talking\u00a0world in a flurry. Hear it nowhere then suddenly everywhere.<\/p>\n
“Obvie” had its day in the sun. \u00a0“As if” hung\u00a0around\u00a0for\u00a0awhile. “Whatever” came and has stayed longer than I would have thought but I think it has become more dismissive than when it started. \u00a0At first it was a “whatever” thrown out in conversation in a whimsical sort of devil may care kind of way and now it seems to be \u00a0more of a “Get out of my face, off my ass, you are dumb,I am right, what you said was stupid. \u00a0Whatever.”<\/p>\n
“It is what it is” seems to be the mantra of 2012. \u00a0The economy, jobs, the weather, the presidential candidates. We were looking for change at every corner and we haven’t seen it. It is what it is.<\/p>\n
I heard Randy Jackson of Idol fame (yes, I am still hanging out on the couch recuperating) on Ellen<\/em> the other day and she was trying to get him to say his favorite word of address, Dawg. \u00a0But he wouldn’t or didn’t say it. \u00a0She had some bet\u00a0with\u00a0the audience as to how many times he would say it in his interview and when he failed her, she finally asked him\u00a0what\u00a0was going on–where was Dawg?? \u00a0He said,”I don’t know. I\u00a0just\u00a0moved on. \u00a0Now I say Dude.”<\/p>\n So there you have it. \u00a0He did some early spring cleaning and I am going to, also. \u00a0But I’m like how do I get there? Do I need to drop a few words? Obvie. \u00a0Can I do it in a day? As if! \u00a0I’ll start with one word at a time. Not. (Oh, I forgot that one!)\u00a0Whatever. I’m over it. (How could I forget that one, too?)<\/p>\n It is what it is. \u00a0Right?!<\/p>\n Thanks for reading, Dude.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So a friend asked me\u00a0what\u00a0part of speech “right” is. \u00a0Not the old “right” that meant the opposite of left or correct or a conservative wing of politics. No, she was referring\u00a0to\u00a0the new “right.” \u00a0The one that is used like,” Angelina looked like a fool at the Oscars–right?! Like she was carrying a skinny white prosthetic …<\/p>\n