Banish is a strong word with strong implications. Its use evokes thoughts of ancient rulers forsaken from their lands, star-crossed lovers doomed by the fickle hand of fate, and ornery patrons no longer allowed at the corner cafe.
It should not be used lightly. TIME did not get the memo. You may not be aware of TIME’s recent survey, selecting a word to be banished in the upcoming year, but nevertheless TIME readers have spoken (well, 30,000 of them at least) and a decision has been made.
YOLO, we hardly knew ye. Seriously, we hardly knew ye. For those who don’t know what this “word” means, a quick definition: YOLO (acronym)- You Only Live Once.
Probably, most often seen as a hashtag (look it up, do I look like a dictionary?), this “seize the day” acronym was embraced by tweens (a sadly not banished word) and non-tweens in very particular circles. Still, it managed to wriggle its way onto the majority of 30,000 TIME magazine readers’ bad sides.
Before we send it off into the sunset, I have to contest this decision for several reasons:
1. YOLO is not a word, therefore making it (by definition) ineligible for the list of banished words to begin with. It’s an acronym, and until Webster-Merriam says otherwise, it’s not in the dictionary.
2. There are so many negative, obnoxious, and demeaning phrases out there, why banish a positive one?
3. When did we start banishing words?
So, will I be using the phrase in protest? No. Had I taken the time to share my opinion I probably would have gone with the something similar, although rampant misuse of literally and ironic make them perfectly worthy of the honor as well.
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TIME: The Word That You Chose to Banish in 2013 and More
…bi-daily smile…
