Giving Credit to the Youth (Sort Of)

I realized something last week. As I drove one of our lovely freeways (at a time where there was no traffic, no less — go figure), I saw a police car with “K9” printed on the side.

That got me thinking about the different ways today’s youth (of which my daughter is one) abbreviates so many things: LOL, ROFLMAO, IMHO, totes, ship, cray-cray, selfie. Many people put the blame on texting.

But what if today’s youth didn’t start this trend but merely continued a trend that us older folks didn’t see?

Go back to the K9 example: It’s short for canine. We’ve been using 3D for at least 50 years instead of three-dimensional. And our government is acronym happy: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), DUI (Driving Under the Influence), DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), NSA (National Security Agency), ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and so forth.

Many of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs were acronyms: TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority), CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), WPA (Works Progress Administration), AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) PWA (Public Works Administration), FHA (Federal Housing Administration), REA (Rural Electrification Administration) and so forth.

We live in a world of shortened language. Like it or not, it’s here to stay — today’s youth is helping make sure of that.

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com

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