That’s What I Call Awesome!

In a recent magazine cartoon, a mother peers over her teenager’s shoulder. The teen is intently working at her laptop, apparently writing a paper. In the caption, the mother suggests to her daughter, “You might want to keep your words-to-exclamation-points ratio higher than one to one.”

I think we can all relate to that. Have you noticed how email messages and texts are so often prone to such excessive use of over-the-top emphasis?

It’s hard to figure out exactly when it started, but in like fashion, the word “awesome,” highjacked by popular culture, has undergone a radical change in meaning. Once reserved for the loftiest descriptions, the term has been dumbed down to a mere expression of approval — nothing more than a thumbs up or smiley face. Indeed, how often we hear “awesome” in answer to questions like “how was your macaroni and cheese,” or “what do you think of your new sneakers?” Let’s not forget that “awesome” was once a term reserved for…