"You only live once (expressing the view that one should make the most of the present moment without worrying about the future, and often used as a rationale for impulsive or reckless behavior)."
Example sentences include, "I just ordered $40 worth of Chinese food, but YOLO, right?" (mmm, now I'm craving an eggroll...) and "The YOLO mentality has swept young adult generations," aka Justin Bieber's generation (oh, what a time to be alive).
Even more shocking than the fact that this word (?) was added to the ODO at all, is that it apparently originated in 1980. I don't know about you, but I was under the impression that "YOLO" was invented by none other than Drizzy Drake himself. Upon further research, I discovered on Wikipedia (which obviously never lies) that, although the acronym was "popularized" by Drake in his 2011 rap song "The Motto," the earliest recorded instance of "YOLO" being used in popular culture dates all the way back to 1855. EIGHTEEN FIFTY FIVE.
Apparently, Drake is a thief (it's okay, you're still bae, Drizzy). Johann Strauss II, who turns out to have been a really popular composer (and who I'm assuming was German but I may be wrong), used the phrase "You only live once" in the title of his waltz "Man lebt nur einmal!" Yes, click the link, it's surprisingly a real thing. Am I the only one who finds that hilarious?
Anyway, YOLO is thought to be a dumb term by anyone who doesn't have JB's "Baby" set as their ringtone (sorry for picking on the Biebs so much, I just kind of associate him with all the negative stereotypes directed at our generation (and if you only click one link in this entire expertly linked blog, please let it be that one)). Although I'm sure Strauss' original purpose for the acronym, and probably Drake's intention as well, was something similar to "carpe diem," or "seize the day," critics of the "YOLO movement" speculate that it encourages youths to act recklessly in the interest of "enjoying life to the fullest."
For example, the tragic death of aspiring rapper Ervin McKinness proves that sometimes, the YOLO mentality goes wrong. According to a Huffington Post article dedicated to the rapper's death,
Even more shocking than the fact that this word (?) was added to the ODO at all, is that it apparently originated in 1980. I don't know about you, but I was under the impression that "YOLO" was invented by none other than Drizzy Drake himself. Upon further research, I discovered on Wikipedia (which obviously never lies) that, although the acronym was "popularized" by Drake in his 2011 rap song "The Motto," the earliest recorded instance of "YOLO" being used in popular culture dates all the way back to 1855. EIGHTEEN FIFTY FIVE.
Apparently, Drake is a thief (it's okay, you're still bae, Drizzy). Johann Strauss II, who turns out to have been a really popular composer (and who I'm assuming was German but I may be wrong), used the phrase "You only live once" in the title of his waltz "Man lebt nur einmal!" Yes, click the link, it's surprisingly a real thing. Am I the only one who finds that hilarious?
Anyway, YOLO is thought to be a dumb term by anyone who doesn't have JB's "Baby" set as their ringtone (sorry for picking on the Biebs so much, I just kind of associate him with all the negative stereotypes directed at our generation (and if you only click one link in this entire expertly linked blog, please let it be that one)). Although I'm sure Strauss' original purpose for the acronym, and probably Drake's intention as well, was something similar to "carpe diem," or "seize the day," critics of the "YOLO movement" speculate that it encourages youths to act recklessly in the interest of "enjoying life to the fullest."
For example, the tragic death of aspiring rapper Ervin McKinness proves that sometimes, the YOLO mentality goes wrong. According to a Huffington Post article dedicated to the rapper's death,
"Ervin McKinness, a 21-year-old aspiring rapper, tweeted about driving drunk at 120 mph minutes before dying in a fiery one-car crash that killed the rapper and four others.
McKinness posted the now-ominous tweets about speeding while driving drunk on the account @ink2flashyy at 1:19 a.m. on Sept. 2.
'Drunk af going 120 drifting corners #FuckIt YOLO'"
McKinness' unnecessary death at such a young age, due to such a preventable cause, gives some clout to critics' worries and proves just how strong the relationship between society and language can be. Just because you only live once, doesn't mean you should live wild. YOLO shouldn't mean making life-threatening decisions, it should mean not holding back from pursuing your dreams, because you never know when your last day on this Earth may be (okay, sappiness over).
Of course, these types of incidents are not in the norm, and for the most part YOLO is simply a stupid swaggy excuse for being mildly irresponsible (let's play "how many JB references can I squeeze into one blog post that's not even about JB"). I can't count how often I've heard something along the lines of, "I didn't even study for this test at all, bro, but I mean, YOLO, right?" I've even been guilty of using it myself (but only in a purely satirical way, I can assure you, as in the phrase, "Man, I'm really going all out with this pink nail polish as opposed to my usual nude shade... freakin YOLO BABY!")
YOLO is everywhere. It's inescapable. T-shirts, snap-backs, hash-tags, rap songs, graffiti, tattoos (No Ragrets, right?), even the titles of waltzes! Where does it end?!
(hint: it doesn't)
Of course, these types of incidents are not in the norm, and for the most part YOLO is simply a stupid swaggy excuse for being mildly irresponsible (let's play "how many JB references can I squeeze into one blog post that's not even about JB"). I can't count how often I've heard something along the lines of, "I didn't even study for this test at all, bro, but I mean, YOLO, right?" I've even been guilty of using it myself (but only in a purely satirical way, I can assure you, as in the phrase, "Man, I'm really going all out with this pink nail polish as opposed to my usual nude shade... freakin YOLO BABY!")
YOLO is everywhere. It's inescapable. T-shirts, snap-backs, hash-tags, rap songs, graffiti, tattoos (No Ragrets, right?), even the titles of waltzes! Where does it end?!
(hint: it doesn't)
The first time I saw someone with a "YOLO" Tee Shirt on--shopping at the ever trendy downtown Greenwise grocery--I thought it was "epic cool." Some people are gonna do reckless and foolish things. That's inevitable. But there is a long and interesting history of the sentiment. "Carpe diem" is one. So is the religious tradition of the "momento Mori" a reminder of death, typically a skull on the desk or, as one of my graduate school professors did, a skull ring worn every day. Momento mori can be a moral urge to be ethical lest you die with sin on your soul and go to your eternal "reward." But it can also be merely a reminder to be a decent person. Not all YOLO has to be an excuse. OK, morality aside, why do people worry about slang getting into the OED. Many words come from the ranks like that and popular culture has always been a source of cultural and linguistic innovation and energy--even if it does set my rapidly aging teeth on edge from time to time. That said, you want real YOLO? Read Andrew Marvel's poem "To my Coy Mistress": "If there were world enough and time,/ This coyness, madam, would be no crime./ But at my back I hear/ Times winged chariot hurrying near." (Renaissance scholars forgive me if I misquote a little; that was from memory.)
ReplyDeleteThis blog is so awsome! I agree 100 percent that the future of our words in modern laguange are...weird to say the least. This blog was honestly very entertaining, which I thought I would never say about the dictionary. The sarcasm you put into the blog was much needed. Good job!
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