If I have to blame Gen Z for something it’s the legitimacy of the use of “Okay”. I STRONGLY recommend anyone born after 1998 to please revisit your language structure and avoid using your mobile phone’s auto correct or fill, because let’s direct the word…
“OK” is technically a shortened acronym of “Okay”. It has history going back nearly 180 years in the Boston Morning Post. According to this article, it states:
Just as annoying as “aka” in complete cash context, I am fed up, I mean FED UP with the use of “we”…
“We won the 2004 World Series… they lost in the 2005 playoffs!”
referring to the Boston Red Sox fans. This applies to the other New England teams as well.
Boston sports is actually amusing how much “ownership” there is collectively. I don’t hear this in other parts of the local environment. I hear more “we” from technical people. It’s that peer-culture that started to degrade personal responsibility, no one will ever be faulted for any inactions, except when it’s only convenient. It’s almost Orwellian like, not IBM, not Apple’s New World order, but really out of the 1984 playbook; because it’s ironic because the group-think, NewOldspeak in hi tech originated at that same time. Information Technology came around in the late 1980s; and the IBM 5150 and Macintosh came out earlier that decade.
One way to look the appropriate use of “we” is is something ala Live PD, where former or current police personnel who would* be on their panel and say “in this situation, we would [x, y and/or z]”. In this case of using “we”, the professional is providing a realistic context of what the viewer is watching in the one of the best reality series on TV (that’s if you watch it live!)
*the series is currently “suspended” with the 2020 Cancel Culture
In many of the YouTubers, it’s easy to highlight the use of “we”, and it’s not even close to being collective, the “collective-we” There is no rhyme or reason or even rational logic of Krazy Ken having the rights to speak for others or even BBishop* to sound inclusive I can’t even understand it! I am not in Krazy Ken’s basement 10 stories below ground level, how does he know how crazy I am with the ARM replacement on the Macs? Or how would Brandon know I am willing to see if something gets restored?
*despite him living locally, I do not know him
I have felt the technical-heavy use of “we” actually derives from the fake-team culture that we (yes I am using it appropriately) can blame that IT culture that ruined personal responsibility.
What do I mean?
“You!”, “They!” “Us” vs “them”.
Divide and Conquer! When things go wrong, the “we” culture starts the finger-pointing. It also shows vulernabilities if you use peer-centric languages. In teaching ideas and thoughts, it’s highly inappropriate to use “we”, “our”, “us” because if you are teaching me something that I am responsible for, at what point does the line get crossed? Only when it’s convenient for you?
I am guilty of it too! When I did some streams for TMOT, I caught myself using “we” and then redirected. It’s live IPTV, so it’s easy to screw up like ol TV.
I will be working on a series for any strangers that wants a well documented How-To on Cisco IP Telephony. I will show you- yes you – an individual on how to implement a CallManager Express instance for your home, on hardware or software that I do not own. Because I don’t infringe on others, and I take responsibility for my content, there will not be a use of “we” in the multi part series.
Can “we” all agree that the use of “we” as a pronoun to describe an assumed group of emotions and passion has crossed a line, to divide individuals in society? Can we agree that “you”, “I”, and perhaps use “us” and “they” or “them” at times?