"Random" is one of those words I use to get joy from using because it was just not everyday that something/someone deserved the use of that term. I would pull it out of my file cabinet of words like I was pulling out my favorite pair of socks on the rare occasion they were clean. Or like when you use a brand new tube of lipstick for the first time. You just know it is going to be a while until you do it again so you savor the moment. When I say the word "Random" I savor the sound of the word as it rolls off my tongue and delight in how unique and well chosen it sounds in the context of the moment.
Well, I use to.
Now the word is everywhere. It is like the use of the word random is no longer random. How can that be? I feel as if the world is becoming even more unstable than I once thought.
My students started it last year. Someone makes a comment. Another student says, "Wow, that was random." I thought it was one of those little inside group things. No, the students this year do it too. I hear it at least three times a class period. And I heard it on the radio and the TV just this week.
So, as I grieve the loss of the use of such a beautiful and precise word, I hold on to the hope that one day, "Random" will be random again.
5 comments:
I cling to that hope as well, but I think it is another sign of the degeneration of the English language and thus, our society.
Oh dear.
indeed.
it is a great word.
i will mourn and hope with you.
just like i do for sentences that don't end in prepositions. and the ability of the general population to correctly use the past perfect tense.
Tag! You’re it…come on over and see what you have to do.
(Also, please note the usage of "random" in the rules.)
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