6.21.2010

annoyance of the day: internet slang

fml. wtf. lol. wut. u. 2day. all these drive me crazy. sometimes, I think they're acceptable - when the phrase you're shortening is worth shortening - such as fyi (for your information = 20 characters!) or wtf when you're in g-rated areas, but most of these are overused. especially fml. I can't go through posts on facebook without seeing fml at least 5 times a day. that's ridiculous. and it's never a good enough reason to be so pissed off about life to say fml fuck my life. never is the acronym used when it really should be. some reasons to say fml (actual things that I've read):

  • having a really sick puppy that doesn't seem to be improving
  • having a dad who has cancer that's eating his ribs and being told that he has no more than 3 months to live
  • having a child who's allergic to everything and feeling overwhelmed by all the caution you have to take from now on
  • having your best friend be in critical condition thousand of miles away from a bike accident and not being able to go support them

some non-fml moments that I've actually read:

  • having to drive in construction on your way to vacation
  • having to go to work period
  • not having cereal when you want it

so many people use fml for the dumbest of situations. sure, driving through construction sucks ass, but, seriously, worse things could happen. sure you don't have cereal when you want it most isn't fair - but that's "ironic" as ms. morissette would say.

and what's crazy is that those who have legitimate fml situations never say fml. instead they do the best they can do to handle what life's thrown at them - hope, ask for advice, pray, ask for support. they don't sit there, acting pitiful, and say fuck my life. they don't look for pathetic, useless, sympathy from others - they look for support.

some people take life for granted. some people don't realize that there's people out there in a lot of pain, suffering from what life has brought. it's almost a slap in the face to say fuck my life because you're in traffic on your vacation. really? that's the worst that's happening to you? lucky bastard.

instead of saying fml, couldn't you say "oh darn" or just "fuck?" or just say how annoying it is. and as for the other internet slang, can't you just type the dang thing out? it's not that many more letters and it's just the grown up thing to do. we're not in middle school anymore. we're all adults. we learned english and grammar. we can write in complete sentences and phrases. there's no need to shorten phrases on facebook or any other site. unless you're getting close to that 160 character mark and that's a whole different issue.

2 comments:

  1. Totally agreed and not just because every time someone says "FML" I have to think about what it means. It's almost never really something that is worth saying that about.

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  2. Very mature rant! I'm proud. For the record, I've never seen FML, nor did I know what it meant until you explained it. And you're right; very few situations merit saying it.
    I can't help but think/hope I have influenced you in your realization that the "little things" in life aren't worth getting your panties in a bunch. I've been trying to get that point across for years (whether you realized it or not.)
    I, too, hate it when people use acronyms and abbreviations for common phrases when it is almost as easy (and infinitely more comprehensible) to just type it out. People are just lazy and think they're cute. By the way, if you ever catch me typing "LOL", you have permission to poke me in the eye with a sharp stick until it becomes dull. (The stick, not my eye... although by that point it shouldn't matter, no pun intended.)

    C U soon!

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thanks for taking the time to add some input and love :)