EXTREME.....................
scream
temperatures
fatigue
poverty
passion
pita
skiing
tatooing
sports
happiness
sorrow
ideas
right
left
suprise
climax
weather
beliefs
makeover
cold
heat
devastation
pain
chewing gum
deals
dimensions
delight
demands
disappointment
body piercing
hunger
desire
hell
conditions
obesity
thinness
solidarity
solitude
paranoia
addiction
abuse
apathy
emotions
sexual appetite
roller coaster
extravagance
measures
OVERREACTION
From the nadir to the apex and nothing in between, descriptions of the "extreme" send our imaginations beyond what we can fathom. We see as far as our eyes can take us....to the point of where the stars line the outer universe. But, then we learn that our interpretation of what we THINK is extreme goes beyond our cognitive boundaries. There is no status quo, no static benchmark for the location of where dwells. Technology for example has allowed us to travel into the realm of what we could only label as infinity. Once again, it pushed the extreme boundaries as we have learned this week when they announced on the news of five new planets. It all seems so....so.....so...... unbelievable.
The term "extreme" is inordinately overused, to a point where it is mugged of any believability. It's used to expressively tantalize, to clamp onto our attention.......... to blow air in our face in order for us to lose our breath and say "WOW!," "HOLY TOLEDO!" "AWESOME," "DUDE, That's TOTALLY EXTREME! " However, it has no validity, no statistical support, no facts to back it up. Extreme is not a measurement, except that it is defined as the zenith....the OUTER most limit. It is a flagrant uttering used to poke our emotional buttons. And it is so overused to a point of skepticism..... and beyond.......
It's time to eliminate it from our vocabulary before we seriously suffer from extreme irritation.
It's time to eliminate it from our vocabulary before we seriously suffer from extreme irritation.
Sunday Scribblings this week looks at the word "extreme..." as a salute to the weather conditions in England this week. Though it seems unprecedented, one never knows what the future holds. The snow and ice and slippery conditions may just be a walk in the park a few years from now. I'm sure my friends in the UK are extremely discombombulated over that prediction. For that, I'm infinitely sorry. Whatever that means.
11 comments:
It might be sad that extreme becomes the norm.
Lilibeth... its too late I think.
Words have taken on new meanings over the decades, haven't they....I don't remember all the different ones but I know that how a word is used by 'the kids' is often completely different than the original meaning. Like the phrase "Shut Up!" has become something entirely different than actually telling someone to 'shut up'...It seems to mean...Really? You've got to be kidding---I can't believe you!'
Extreme seems to be another word that is now used in a somewhat different context.
I must say, the weather "extremes" everywhere are really scary these days. 32 degrees in Miamy??? OY!
Cool post! I took a look at your link to the 'new planets' and I had this awful feeling of. 'Phew I wonder if the ancients knew about this?' A place so HOT could only be termed as hell! How extreme's that??
I like your list poem at the beginning! It's "awesome"! LOL
Naomi...it's difficult to keep up with the word trends. I was thinking this morning about this.... how words on their own are one dimensional without the context behind them.... (ie thought, feelings, situation etc)Because of this, they become more fluid in definition. They slide in and out of meaning depending on the application. I wont even tell you what prompted me to think about this or where it lead me. It's WAY far AWAY from this post. But, I may blog about it later when I have a chance to capture my thoughts into WORDS. :)
Other words that have altered or perhaps used more now than before? Random. Literacy. Tweet!
OH, and while I'm thinking about it..... our concept of PEACE has been altered thanks to Obama's Nobel Speech.
Thanks Andy. Welcome aboard! I heard about the new planets driving to work the other day and it totally creeped me out in the EXTREME. And to even conjure up an image of how hot they are is beyond my comprehension except when I compare it to my picture of what hell would be like.
Linda.... Let me say how extremely pleased I am you found it as awesome as you did, dude. :)
Thanks for the sympathy vote. I hope you are wrong about the future! Excellent post.
life seems to be full of opposing forces ... love your post! xx, JP/deb
and i m beginning to think the end is real close by!
I am sorry for the late arrival to Sunday Scribblings but I had to pay you a visit :)
Happy SS
Extreme 'Caution'
Nice work. It would seem "extreme" has become the meaning of our lives.
Melanie
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