The Thinklings

"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing. "What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk. "Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty -- as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City." "Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?" "I really do not know," replied the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron.""

- L. Frank Baum, "The Land of Oz"

Saturday, November 22, 2008

I Call For a Moratorium

Posted by Jared @ 10:02 am CST
Filed under: Just Goofin' Off, Humor, Culture, Technology

On the following faddish verbiage:

Woot!

and

FAIL

Please stop. These things have jumped the shark quicker than the macarena.

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Comments on "I Call For a Moratorium":

1. Bird - 11/22/2008 10:59 am CST

I don't think I've heard "FAIL" yet.

2. Jared - 11/22/2008 11:04 am CST

Consider yourself lucky!

3. Bill - 11/22/2008 12:33 pm CST

OK, I get "Woot" (although, not to make too fine a point of it here, it's actually "W00t")

But what's "FAIL"? I have seen that being referred to a few places in the past few days, but I don't know what it means.

Then again, I'm so totally out of it...

4. Jared - 11/22/2008 12:40 pm CST

Started in the gamer community as found in a video game where the Japenese-English translations were a little wonky. (Kind of like in Contra's "All your base are belong to us.")

Now "fail" and "epic fail" are used in the same kind of way as "pwned" and what-not to refer to something failing or being disappointing, usually in an ironic way, meaning someone's attempts at doing something backfired.

I'm seeing/hearing it constantly now, particularly among geeks.
Some dude even held up a FAIL sign at the AIG hearings in DC.
Mark Driscoll even used the "Fail" and "Win" thing in a recent sermon.

After a while, it's like hearing the Budweiser "Wassuuuuuup" thing over and over.

5. Bill - 11/22/2008 1:31 pm CST

Ugh, it sounds like it plays to one of my all time language pet-peeves: turning a verb into a noun.

6. Justin - 11/22/2008 1:57 pm CST

Yes! Ban "fail" from all discussion online - ASAP. It's about as annoying as lolcats.

"Woot," on the other hand, may be used to refer to the website of the same name. That is its one useful purpose.

7. Jeff - 11/22/2008 4:01 pm CST

Jared,

I'm sorry to say, but "jumping the shark" has to be added to that list, too. Seriously.

8. Jared - 11/22/2008 4:04 pm CST

Hahaha. Yeah, I was kinda aiming for that implicit truism. :-)
You're right: "jump the shark" has jumped the shark.

9. Bill - 11/22/2008 4:16 pm CST

More Phrases To Moratoriamize:

For starters, every single verb or verb-phrase that is really a noun. "Operationalize" comes to mind.

Corollary: nouns that are really verbs. Where I work, "spend" is used as a noun. "What's your spend this month?"

"At the end of the day"

"It is what it is" (can we please, please kill this one and then kill it again?)

"True story"

"Sooner, rather than later"

"Down the stretch" (used all the time in sports-talk)

10. Bill - 11/22/2008 4:18 pm CST

This one had a long run - haven't heard it as much recently. Thankfully: "'Nuff said"

11. Brian in Fresno - 11/22/2008 7:09 pm CST

May I respectfully add uber to the list? Please.

12. Molly - 11/22/2008 9:06 pm CST

Hey, pops- no fair! You've officially bumped "true story" onto the moratorium list? Only I say that!

If that goes there, so does "pop a squat". It's only fair.

13. Bill - 11/22/2008 9:12 pm CST

Actually, "pop a squat" is a perfectly serviceable (not to mention charming) colloquialism that will live on for generations.

True story.

14. Milly - 11/23/2008 7:08 am CST

I'm still say'n um!

Wait I never did.

I'm gonna start say'n um.

15. blest - 11/24/2008 8:00 am CST

I'm with ya. I hadn't heard the FAIL one...but I despise Woot. I really do.

Leave of the T, however, and I don't mind it as an expression of extreme glee. Especially if you had more Os and a Hoo.

16. David - 11/25/2008 1:30 am CST

And I call for a moratorium on the misuse of the phrase "jump the shark," which doesn't mean "become obnoxious," but rather to cannonball into the deep end of implausibility and laughableness. (So arguably, it can't be applied to words.)

Edit: It seems my definition was a bit off, as well, as most UD entries define it was the point where it's clear something will/has peaked in popularity. That of course often involves ridiculous stunts, and still can't really be sensibly applied to words like "w00t" (though I hate it as much as you).

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