Creepy and awkward, but I'm literally obsessed

With 12 hours of straight shot driving (thanks Howie) along various turnpikes on the way home from the Windy City, there was plenty of time for conversation.  One of the more fascinating of those surrounded around the four words mentioned above (in the title of this post).  The are, as we agreed, some of the most trendy, over and ill-used words over the past decade.

Awkward, perhaps, being the chief offender, with obsessed making a strong late push for the crown. 

Awkward (for years) served as the word of choice for adolescents trying to describe, well- any situation (usually and hatefully involving adults).  "OMG, my mom totally was listening to Maroon 5 in the this morning while driving me to school... awkward."  Wrong.  Embarrassing? Maybe at best.  Acceptable? Sure.  Awkward it ain't.  What is more frustrating, perhaps, is that it is being used as a commentary or a qualifier.  Further proof that limitless and excessive technology and communication is dumbing down American youth.

Obsessed seems to be the new "flavor of the week."  "Do you watch Glee?" one might ask, only to be responded to with, "Oh God, I'm like literally so obsessed."  "Oh, what is your favorite song on it?"   "Well, I've only seen like 5 episodes but it totally love it.  And Lea Michelle, ahhhh... obsessed!"

Dumb.

It may have been my favorite of the conversations (on the way home- ask about the Oracle later).  For me, it is the equivalent of the over use of the superlative.  When we use these things incessantly without end, we weaken them and remove our ability to use them when appropriate.  We are then forced to keep topping ourselves; often leading to the need to make up new words.

Please, the English language is to good to take it for granted.  We are eliminating a plethora of perfectly good words for the sake of overusing the superlatives.  Our vocabularies seem to be disappearing at a rate comparable to the middle-class.

Much thanks to Tony Braithwaite for introducing, fueling and sustaining this glorious conversation.

For the sake of my teenage readers (of which, I assume, I have none)...

The West Side Story Revival Album arrived in the mail today and I'm "literally obsessed."