Blog cont’d
This piece acts as an extension or ammendment (supplement?) to the emoticon blurb. Or perhaps is merely an egotistical response to the fact that the annoyingly multitalented Amazing Dr P has been getting more comments here, and causing flitters and ripples of interest on facebook. Now, don’t you realise that we achingly and lovingly painstake over sketchbooks, graphic tablets and on photoshop to bring you these weekly gems of webcomics? To what end? Only to be unceremoniously de-crowned by a cheeky, hastily written blog about losing ‘stuff”.
Well I want some of that interest, and what better motivator than jealousy?
In this blog I want to address the LOL, three insignificant letters, a minute throwaway sentiment that recently nearly caused an aneurysm for yours truly. Which is quite a feat as I am usually a calm, tranquil, zen like creature (!).
Let me set the scene:
I was mid-difficult conversation with someone who posseses the ability of royally getting under my skin. Everyone has someone like this, am I right? On a good day, he’ll understand every nuance of your humour, but on a bad day can send your pulse hurtling through the roof, and boil your blood til your sanity evaporates.
It was a bad day.
And in the effort of being highly evolved and emotionally mature people, we were biting back rebuttals and trying to work things out step by step, one sentence at a time.
Him: So do you agree that your behaviour was bad during episode ‘A’?
Me: Yes, I agree that my behaviour was bad.
Him: Can you see that my intentions were to rectify the situation?
Me: I can see your INTENTIONS were good…
Him: Therefore is it not true then, that you are the cause of years and years of bad communication that ensued
Me: I believe I acted badly, but do not think that that is why we commincate badly now.
Him: LOL
He went on to say ‘Well you don’t get it at all…’ etc but my ears were ringing with this offensive LOL that struck like a gong between my ears and, if not for my newly acquired emotional maturity, would have had me grab my (gorgeous, sleek, fruit logo’d) laptop, and bang it repeatedly against the edge of the table.
This is a particularly grating example of the LOL, inserted as a jab in an otherwise serious conversation. But there are so many other instances; the null-meaning lol that people bandy about on FB, what is the point? If something really made you laugh, then great but a picture of a cat. ‘lol’?
or the Teurettets Lol: ‘I thought I would call, lol, but then I didn’t, lol, so I texted instead. LOL!
Thank god it wasn’t a Rofl, but then again, if it was a Rofl I would have the benefit of being able to feel superior to him, because that would make him a mere internet site jargon-spewing junkie.
Once a friend of mine had sent a message about her pet passing away, and another friend had replied, ‘Aww, LOL’ – mistakenly thinking that LOL was ‘lots of love’.
EVIL LOL.
I have to say though, when I read her reply and having realised the mistake she’d made, I had toLMAO.
lol
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NB: The events and people in this blog are of a fictitious nature, and the views expressed are mainly in the effort of the writing, and do not intend to represent the authors view in an way, or to cause any offense.
3 Comments
I dislike abbreviations in general but with the advent of short messaging, I have come to employ some of the more ubiquitous examples. ‘brb’ is useful (though I prefer the more natural ‘sec’) and I have a particular fondness for ‘wtf’ – its elegant parsimony is quite beautiful. lol, however, and all of its mirth-declaiming ilk are right out. I think my principle objection is that it’s an outright lie: nobody who ever wrote ‘lol’ was engaged in anything even approaching a single unit of laughter, never mind multiples, and certainly not ‘out loud’ (depending on your definition). At best, they smirked; snorted perhaps. lol is up there with exclamation marks – a false exaggeration of feeling that.. Hang on, I’m becoming aggravated, this feels like a blog… brb
oooh, cannae wait…
a response blog?
I like.
DAMN – You!!! I’m currently writing a blog post that in part refers to the commonplace usage of “LOL” and its cronies in modern day vernacular! I’m glad other people are on the same page as me.
I’m still gonna post it in the next two weeks though as i have a few things to post first including one Janelle Monae….. cheers for that tip off lady.
@the amazing Dr P. I salute you and your rage!
K*