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brightrosefoxLast night, while on the bus going home, I watched a teenage girl whip out her ringing cell phone and answer it after just having got on the bus. She spoke loudly enough to entertain the whole bus, of course. However, what set my teeth on edge was when she uttered a classic line that always makes me want to beat senseless anyone I hear saying:
"Where am I at? Um... I'm, like, I dunno. Whatever. Why?"
I'd rather not forgive her just because she appeared to be fourteen and part of the "MySpace" generation. I'd rather shove a copy of the Chicago Manual Of Style in her face and then clobber her with it. The phrase, "Like, I dunno" is one of the things I hate most. Hate it. It grinds against my brain like broken glass. What's worse is when I hear it being uttered by people in their twenties and even thirties. I cannot help it, I instantly react in a bad way. The person may not be stupid, but to me that phrase somehow makes the person sound stupid. I know college students who interject the phrase into every other sentence. I know this one girl in her twenties who seems unable to complete a simple sentence without trailing off, looking confused, and then saying, "Like, I dunno" or "Um, it's like whatever" or something equally inane. I try not to bash her head in because she is friends with someone I care about, and it would make my friend upset if I got out the aluminum bat.
The girl on the bus could have said, "I just got on a bus" or "I'm across the street from X Shopping Center" or just some indication of where she actually was. The fact that she said "I'm, like, I dunno, whatever" is a sad sad indication of something I don't even want to think about.
I know there are some people who read this who will disagree with me, tell me to "lighten up, for god's sake, she was just a kid," or say "This is how people talk now, deal with it," or berate me, or cry, "Hey, I say that and I'm not stupid! You're mean!" I'll admit that I've slipped up and caught myself saying it.
I'm not saying that anyone is actually stupid if they say it. I'm saying that the phrasing is stupid. Especially when it is used all the fucking time.
"Where am I at? Um... I'm, like, I dunno. Whatever. Why?"
I'd rather not forgive her just because she appeared to be fourteen and part of the "MySpace" generation. I'd rather shove a copy of the Chicago Manual Of Style in her face and then clobber her with it. The phrase, "Like, I dunno" is one of the things I hate most. Hate it. It grinds against my brain like broken glass. What's worse is when I hear it being uttered by people in their twenties and even thirties. I cannot help it, I instantly react in a bad way. The person may not be stupid, but to me that phrase somehow makes the person sound stupid. I know college students who interject the phrase into every other sentence. I know this one girl in her twenties who seems unable to complete a simple sentence without trailing off, looking confused, and then saying, "Like, I dunno" or "Um, it's like whatever" or something equally inane. I try not to bash her head in because she is friends with someone I care about, and it would make my friend upset if I got out the aluminum bat.
The girl on the bus could have said, "I just got on a bus" or "I'm across the street from X Shopping Center" or just some indication of where she actually was. The fact that she said "I'm, like, I dunno, whatever" is a sad sad indication of something I don't even want to think about.
I know there are some people who read this who will disagree with me, tell me to "lighten up, for god's sake, she was just a kid," or say "This is how people talk now, deal with it," or berate me, or cry, "Hey, I say that and I'm not stupid! You're mean!" I'll admit that I've slipped up and caught myself saying it.
I'm not saying that anyone is actually stupid if they say it. I'm saying that the phrasing is stupid. Especially when it is used all the fucking time.
