I'm not a fan of non-words that are meant to make the speaker sound cool, and I never have been. Just the other day I was watching a movie and one of the teenage characters said "chillax," and I shuddered. My stomach has been twisted into a knot ever since. I remember a phrase growing up that always gave me the same reaction: My bad. Ugh. I'm cringing right now just thinking about it.
The writer in me just rebels against this disgusting use of the English language. At times, I feel motivated to go on a crusade to purge the world of the slang infidels! Okay, yes, I go overboard. But it really gets to me and I have no problem calling someone out on it when they say something stupid like that in front of me. Some might call it cruel, obsessive, or nit-picky, but I call it attention to detail.
And you know what? If you're writing YA, you should most definitely stay away from using slang. Though "chillax" may be cool to say today, in a decade or so the next generation is going to laugh at anyone who actually said it. And dating your book like that is a very bad thing.
And uber. Uber is bad too. *shudder*
~Emily White
