The English language is complicated and hard to understand at the best of times, but those who speak it over time make it even more confusing.
Throughout history the definition of some words has morphed into different, even opposite meanings. We have to look no farther than popular Christmas songs – ‘Deck the Halls’: “Now we don our gay apparel...” or The Christmas Song: “a turkey and some mistletoe, Help to make the Yuletide gay...”.
There’s even a school in Australia which recently asked students to replace the word “fun” for “gay” in a classical song from that country because the children would always laugh.
However, there’s been a recent fad that is ‘killing’ the English language.
Tuula and I enjoy watching the popular ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ shows. But we don’t enjoy hearing judges tell contestants that they “murdered” or “killed” a dance (meaning it was really, really, good.)
If you want to tell someone they’re incredible, tell them they were “disgusting” or “sick”, “ill,” or maybe even “wicked”.
I’m sure sociologists would agree that using words such as ‘murdered’ and ‘killed’ is just another step in desensitizing society. Why do you have to “murder” something for it to be good? I would think that if you “killed” a dance (or song) you were pretty terrible (maybe even disgusting) – confused yet?
Then there’s always Randy Jackson, of American Idol fame. If you’ve just done a great job, it was “the bomb”. Which I would think meant you blew it up.
So, if you ever hear of someone who was so sick and ill that he was disgusting and wicked as he murdered and killed with a bomb, well, you’ve just heard of a budding superstar.
But, for those who want to be that superstar, watch out, because fame doesn’t necessarily make you gay (happy).