A Word On ‘Hack My Life’
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Hack my life, is the title of the TV show appearing on my screen just now and the title conjures up a gruesome image, at least in anyone much over 50 for whom Hacking is chopping in a crude manner.
For the man-bun millennials and their pierced and tattooed friends the subtitle explaining how Jack and Jill use a “classic hack” to get a restaurant reservation presents no bewildering contradictions. For one whose vocabulary is more informed by English literature than by the “Urban” dictionary, things are otherwise.
I think not only of crude slashing or chopping, but also of a hack writer or politician. I think of a taxi. I think of a bad type of cough as in hacking up phlegm. Only at the edge does the concept of getting unauthorized access to a computer suggest hack as a trick, a gimmick, a ruse or even a helpful suggestion. That stretches the hugely cliche trope to the point of groaning. And groan I must.
Why do we talk this way? Do we have to include the attempt to close off the language to all but the elite anti-elitist group as a purpose of language and if so, why do we breathlessly rush to include bizarre usages in our own speech particularly when we don’t understand the origins? Dialect, jargon, malapropism, baby talk and mondegreen – The verbal minstrel show – our modern speech is more of an act, a pretense of belonging to and mimicking some group of whom we are jealously enamored and sometimes, paradoxically contemptuous.
Is any of it related to our other cultural pretenses, where billionaire business owners show up for press conferences in T-shirts or shabby sports attire or wear hoodies and gym shoes with suits? Why do we feel so cosmopolitan being fleeced at a coffee shop with its own obscurantist language? I’m not sure I want to know.
It doesn’t seem long ago that we used to talk about a “generation Gap” the way we used to talk about a missile gap – another thing that didn’t really exist. It seems the gulf has widened and that the more that gulf yawns the more it remains a profitable institution behind which stands the same old profit motive and profiteers. The top hat gives way to the t-shirt, but the young and hip think it’s all about them and don’t notice that it’s never been that way and it never will be.
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This style of discussion works for me Glenn. No use embarrasing myself trying to rise to your level. You’re the A team here.
Don’t sell yourself short there Joe. You, Glenn Greg etc you are all really good contributors and funny as hell with your articles.
And there you go again!
I blame Yogi Berra for all this.
Whaddaya know, you made an old man blush. 🙂
AYUP, apparently I have a filthy mouth who knew 🙂 Weird thing though , I have never really been the type to get all jealous at all because I trust the guys I am with but for some reason it raised itself.
I’m taking a break from wedding festivities right now that are driving me crazy. Bf is a groomsman at his friend’s wedding and they are all wearing kilts and whole Scottish dress up, like Highlander cosplay right. So some of us are out here, minding our own business having a toke or 11 and this slutty mcslutterton comes across to where me and some of the groomsmen and a bridesmaid or three are partaking. Bf is standing RIGHT Fucking next to me and drunk girl goes to him, I AM STANDING RIGHT THERE, so what are you wearing under your kilt. Here is language advice for you all free from me. I say to her my lipstick, did you need to know the shade for future reference 🙂 AYUP, Jess turned into jealous Jess for a second. She was hitting on my boyfriend while I was STANDING RIGHT FUCKING THERE, in case I didn’t mention I was right there at the time. Two of the groomsmen and bf cracked up and one of the guys goes to him, dude do you even know how lucky you are to have met this woman.