Youths, emoji, and fluff
On ankle socks and ROFL emojis, plus how to identify and cut universal statement fluff
Youth culture is all around us, from the pressure to wear crew socks over ankle socks to the FOMO that comes with turning off social media for just a bit. I am not going to give up my ankle socks (not sorry) nor am I going to totally give up social media, but I work really hard to identify when I'm following a trend vs. actually doing something I like.
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend about how I was trying to use fewer emoji in my text and slack messages. When she asked me why, I didn't really have a good answer, other than that they make me look old. What a dumb reason to do anything, right?
And I'm not just beating up on myself. I'm middle aged. I'm over the hill. I am a mom with mom jeans. And when did I really care about being cool?
The first day of sophomore year in high school, I wore yellow plaid pants to school. A freshman girl that I didn't know (at the time) asked me "Do you like your pants?" I said of course I did, I was wearing them. Then she said "Oh, well WE don't," and giggled as she grabbed her friend’s arm and walked away.
That 14 year old jerk's behavior stuck with me as a negative example of how to be in the world. I still hold onto that, not because I was hurt at the time—that ding dong didn't know me and it only made me feel important that someone I didn't know cared so much about me to be a deliberate asshole to me. I still hold onto it as an example of how cruel kids can be, how their brains aren't quite formed yet, and how they will do many things out of insecurity. So why in the world would I listen to them about something as unimportant as ankle socks, much less how I express myself in text? 🙄
Recommended Reading and Listening
Still revising heavily, so not much time to read, but I'm adding podcast episodes here as well, because I can finish more of those.
Premonition: The Gift by E.C. Quinn
This middle-grade fiction has me captivated. Sammy Greene has inherited a talent for premonition, and although he hopes to free himself of his gift/curse, when he follows his gift, he finds adventure.
Conan Needs A Friend: Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson
When I used to be a server and bartender at a fancy restaurant in town, Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen used to stop by. They were such great customers. I never personally waited on them, probably because I got all starry-eyed when Ted Danson's name came up. I giggled throughout this podcast episode, which covers Cheers, motorcycle accidents, and a supposed houseboat in Amsterdam (or Copenhagen). Enjoy.
Editor's Note
I'm going to be brief today, because this note is all about universal statements. Writers love to use these to meet that word count and try to make themselves seem smart.
Sometimes we use it to try and connect the subject matter to the wider world, although that almost always sounds like a high school essay. Some examples:
Since the dawn of technology, humans have strived for advancement.
All HR leaders care about people
It's no secret that our society is obsessed with youth culture (the original opening line to this newsletter)
These examples of fluff don't add anything to the article. They're a way of zooming in, but they're not adding value to readers. Cut them. If they help you get started writing, then great, but go back and revise that intro after.
How do you know if you're writing this type of fluff? If you can swap out the nouns with any other noun, you're probably making a universal statement that isn't adding to the argument of the text.
Since the dawn of cooking, humans have strived for good taste.
All dogs care about bones
It's no secret that grass is obsessed with water
These examples are increasingly inane, because that's how un-helpful these lines are. They state the obvious, which can feel a lot like talking down to the reader. Go back and revise.
A nice read.