PreMericans:
Is it just me being really pernickety or do other people hate this too. A lot of my friends who would be somewhat pretentious but who like to be seen to be ?keeping it real? have decided to turn their backs on their roots and to start using words that I would consider to be predominantly American such as ?awesome? and also ?Mom? or ?Mommy?. I can?t even handle the ?mum? thing. Most Irish people do NOT call their mothers ?Mummy? or ?Mommy? so why then when they hit fifteen does the ?Mam? turn into ?Mum? or ?Mom?. I think that its peer pressure, using words like these make people appear to be more refined (or so they think). It?s a farce as well cause when they are actually speaking to their mother they will call her ?Mam? but then to their apparently ?cool as fuck? mates its ?oh my Mum / Mom says blah blah? how sad and needy are these people? I can make exceptions when the mother in question is ACTUALLY from somewhere that uses ?Mum? as the word for mother but other than that it?s terrible. Also back to this ?awesome? thing, when did Irish people start top use this word, seriously, its getting to be beyond a joke, people who I thought were not so easily influenced actually are!! Its like some sort of a phenomenon (or something!) Anyway it?s really annoying. So I say ?Say NO to Awesomers!!!?
(posts)
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Comments
Note:
PreMerican = Pretend + American.
Awesome shall henceforth be allowed for all English speakers, apart from people originating from Ireland or Britain, as we sound stupid saying it.
Australians, NZ'ers, and Saffers, this means you. You're allowed say awesome, as it does not sound pretentious when you say it.
Posted by: Matt | January 15, 2007 12:23 PM
Hmm. I call my mom, Hilary and my dad, dad.
The word Mam seems strange to me.
Peoples languages and dialect changes as they grow older. Languages and dialects change. Words come in and out of fashion.
Personally I like the word Awesome. I've been accused of this happening since I started working for an American company but it's unrelated and barely anyone here is Amercian.
I'll be honest, that this sounds more like anti-americanism than anything else.
Posted by: Adrian | January 15, 2007 12:25 PM
I wouldn't call it anti-Americanism, as it's anti "people trying to be cool by trying to appear as if they are American, where they are clearly not American".
Americans, needless to say, are also on the list of people who are allowed to say awesome.
Oh, and no offence to you at all Adrian, but I really, really hate it when people call their parents by their actual names. I mean what's wrong with Mam/Mum/Mom and Dad?
Posted by: Matt | January 15, 2007 12:36 PM
Yes to all of Matt's points, its not anti americanism, its anti people aquiring an american accent when they have been there for a week. Like Irish people who go there for the summer and come back and its all "Mom" "sidewalk" "tomadoe" etc. Just annoying and not at all AT ALL cool. Well I don't think so anyway. Or the young wans and lads where I live seem to have it even though the closest they have been to the states is the Aran Islands ya know?
Posted by: Babs | January 15, 2007 1:02 PM
My mom is Hilary and my dad us dad. Tell me exactly what is wrong with calling my mother by her name. That's how I've always called my mom, and that's what feels natural for me, for no actual reason except for that's what I have always called my mom. I think hate is a very strong word to use here.
And I do think it's anti-American, in so far as you are saying to sound like an American is wrong, for an irish person. People pick up words around them, and Americanism are on TV all the time. If some watches Buffy and likes the phrase "My bad" and uses it, what's the big deal.
Whilst I don't like certain words, and do like the enunciation of certain words, I think you can't really have a go at people for that. Even if they think they are being cool.
It's no difference to me saying you're just trying to be cool to have a soul patch. I have no idea why you chose to have a soul patch, and it makes no difference if you just like it, or you saw someone with it (which you must have done at some point). But to have a go at you would be rude, as would it if you said "awesome"
Posted by: Adrian | January 15, 2007 2:47 PM
I didn't say there was anything wrong with calling your parents by their names, I just said I didn't like it (I concede your point that hate is a bit strong).
People saying "my bad" is totally not the same thing either, nor are general Americanisms. It's people who want other people to think they're American or have lived in America that we feel is pretentious, and we don't like it.
I have a soul patch because I choose to. Same as you choose not to, or you chose to have a beard last year, or not.
Posted by: Matt | January 15, 2007 3:15 PM
ok what's a "soul patch".
Adrian, I think that you are taking this all a bit too seriously!!
I don't not like actual American people or anyone from any country for that matter, its just that where I live, there are a lot of tossers, who have this affected accent, as in, they all think that they are on the O.C and talk in a fake American accent, and also sing in one too. Fake Americans is what they are.
Posted by: Babs | January 16, 2007 8:49 AM