Sticks and Stones

Most of us have heard the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” True, while they don’t harm me there are some words and phrases that can send me to the brink. I am looking for any brain activity which does not include the words ‘election’ or ‘Coronavirus’, so though my list is long I will only list my Top 5.

Fair warning…this is a personal list and as a reader you are not required to agree though I’d bet you have a few of your own.

5. irregardless – OK, in my world this isn’t even a word at all though some publications beg to differ. Using the word ‘regardless’ will suffice. “Regardless of the consequences, the driver topped speeds of 100 mph.” See…it works!

4. Sorry, not sorry – It would seem that for many being edgy is everything and this seems to be the edgy way to allow yourself to say and do anything to anyone, simply considering yourself a truth teller instead of a rude SOB. If you feel the need to apologize (sorry) for what you said, or not (not sorry) maybe you need to keep your mouth closed and stop being a rude SOB. #sorrynotsorry

3. fixin’s – no one who has ever made my acquaintance would use the word “cutesy” to describe me and I think the term fixin’s is just too cute for me. Things are explained as having ‘all the fixin’s’, but as fixin’s can be anything it just isn’t possible to have all of them, is it? There can always be more and let’s face it, since we are not all Aunt Bee is this really an appropriate term?

2. diva – this takes sorry, not sorry to ridiculous extremes. Not only do you want to say or do anything to anyone, AT NO TIME are you sorry. You are an entitled, rude human that delights in making it as difficult to get along with and be around you as you can. Then you give your bad behavior a name to suggest you occupy a pedestal the rest of us don’t…or can’t. Nice try, but call yourself a diva and I will see you for what you are.

And the winner is…1. triggered – this is the most overused, exaggerated buzzword of today. While there is an actual meaning relating to PTSD, anxiety and some mental disorders it is now is used everywhere by everyone. Go to any news service and see headlines like; “How The Whistleblower Triggered Impeachment”, “…Crash Triggered By Insect Bite”, “911 call Triggered Search”. Substitute ’caused’ for triggered and you have the same story but it is not nearly as dramatic and we are nothing right now if not dramatic. If you don’t believe me, I refer you to my earlier comments regarding the terms election and Coronavirus.

Similar Posts

  • Mary Poppins, anyone?

    The tendency to abdicate personal responsibility and allow government and sanctioning organizations to preside over us in a “nanny state” runs rampant through our society these days. Whether we are subject to mandates and laws regarding plastic straws, reusable bags, or mandatory labels that the hot coffee just purchased is actually hot, we can’t escape…

  • Woke? More Like Bone Tired

    Let me begin by saying that in the following paragraphs I will undoubtedly use the wrong word, offend multiple people and set keyboards ablaze. None of this is my intent, but I have recently been told that intent doesn’t matter…ever. Nonetheless, I will continue. I have wanted to get these thoughts out of my head…

  • Hello, It’s Me…

    Yes, maybe it was the title of a Todd Rungren song, but also the three words that come to mind as I embark on this new adventure.  I believed I was done challenging myself, testing my limits and finding myself again and again outside my comfort zone but I was dead wrong.  I look forward…

  • So Predictable…

    These are times unlike any we, as a world, can remember seeing. A pandemic is ravaging the world and creating situations and challenges many have never even considered. Public health and safety is paramount, yet those given the responsibility for oversight in that realm are in large part sailing uncharted waters. On many fronts one…

  • Jussie A Darn Minute!

    The airwaves are awash with the story of thirty-something Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, who arranged a fake crime, tagged it as a racist, homophobic hate crime and completed the story with props (in the form of a hangman’s noose) and a reference to MAGA for the full effect.  It is said he concocted this nightmare because…