Buzzwords of 2009

At the risk of sounding copy-catish, I'm posting a list of what the NY Times believes are buzzwords of the present day. I am including comments after each one.

----Buzzwords----

aporkalypse-Undue worry in response to swine flu. Includes unnecessary acts like removing nonessential kisses from Mexican telenovelas and the mass slaughter of pigs in Egypt.

~a-pork-alypse. That's too funny. I'm still looking forward to that Christmas ham.


athey-An atheist. Usually derogatory.

~Such a sad thing to be.


birther-A person who believes that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and therefore can’t be president.

~Where was he born, anyway?

Cash for Clunkers-A government program in which older automobiles are exchanged for pollution credits or rebates on newer and more fuel-efficient models. First popular in 1990 but resurgent in 2009.

~Heard about it, but I'm keeping my current car.....for now.

Chimerica-The intertwined economies of China and the United States, which together dominate the world economy. Popularized by Niall Ferguson in his book “The Ascent of Money.”

~Some say China could take over one day. I don't know a single Chinese word, but I do love the food!

conflict minerals-Gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum, widely used in electronic devices and commonly mined in politically unstable countries or regions. Related to conflict diamonds.

~I would love to stumble upon gold in some secret cave. That is a childhood fantasy of mine.

Dracula sneeze-Covering the mouth with the crook of the elbow when sneezing, like Dracula hiding his face with a cape.

Oh my goodness, I do this all the time! Who really wants nasty sneeze-moisture on their hands, anyway??

drive like a Cullen-To drive like a bat out of hell, like a member of the Cullen family in the “Twilight” vampire books by Stephenie Meyer.

~I've heard this one on facebook. And yes, I've driven like that many times.

Government Motors-A nickname for General Motors, which is now majority owned by the federal government.

~Ha. I still prefer a BMW.

Great Recession-A reference to the current economic downturn. Used at least a few times for every recession since 1980, but never with such vigor as now.

~Yep, and I'm sick of it.

green shoots-Signs of an economic recovery or of a company’s financial turnaround.

~We need more of these!

I’mma let you finish-Part of Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, a widely popular joke meme on the Internet.

~You can find parodies of this incident on google. Some friends of mine even photo-shopped their own image, giving Kanya a speech bubble and referencing outrageous things. To be honest, it's a little odd that TS won so many awards at such a young age. Some said it's "too much, too soon." But, that's a topic for another day.

jeggings-Jean leggings.

~I want some! But many of these "jeggings" are more of a stretchy material that only appears to be denim. Darker looks better, by the way.

mancession-A recession that affects men more than women. Also hecession.

~Like construction work, perhaps?

netbook-An inexpensive portable computer, usually smaller than a laptop but larger than a smartphone, intended mainly for use with the Internet.

~I saw many of these while computer shopping, but I didn't fully understand what they were.

Octomom-Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in January.

~Freakish. I don't even think I want ONE kid....

sexting-The sending of sexual messages or pictures by mobile telephone.

~An episode of Glee references this.

social distancing-Staying away from other people so as not to catch or spread the flu. Common since late 2005 but surging in 2009.

~I guess this is an easy to do now, since you can accomplish most tasks via internet.

swine flu party-A gathering held so people can be infected by a mild form of swine flu, in theory creating antibodies against more dangerous forms. Such a practice is universally discouraged by doctors.

~This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can just imagine a group of people sitting in a living room, coughing all over each other....

Tea Party-An organized gathering of antitax, antigovernment and/or anti-Obama protestors. Also teabagger, a derogatory name for attendees of Tea Parties, probably coined in allusion to a sexual practice.

I went to one in Atlanta! I dragged a video camera and microphone around to interview people for UTV-13. That was interesting, yet difficult to lug around downtown (and on the MARTA).

Tenther-A person who believes the federal government is mostly illegal because it usurps rights that belong to the states, in violation of the 10th Amendment, which reads, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

~More people should be aware and have a clearer understanding of the constitution.

torture memos-Bush administration documents that secretly authorized the torture of suspected terrorists.

vook-A digital book that includes some video in its text.

~I haven't heard of this.

warmist-Someone who believes that the earth is jeopardized by becoming warmer. Shortened from global warmist and used mainly by people who are skeptical about global warming.

~Haha so silly. Personally, I'm freezing cold all the time, so this global warming thing can't possibly be true. But of course, this is such a ridiculously controversial matter and I don't wish to discuss it at this time.