That NEW Adage

A pressure-relief valve about God, and just about everything else.

What’s so Amazing about “Amazing?”


Why do some people use that word so much? Especially in reality shows like “The Real World,” “The Bachelor,” “Rock of Love,” and any other show where people who don’t know each other and are thrust together for the sole purpose of hooking up while we voyeuristically watch? Celebrities wear it out, too! “The director was amazing.” “This movie was an  amazing experience!” “Angelina was just so amazing that I just had to leave my first wife — who used to be amazing. Not so much now…

Overkill indeed! And it’s always spoken with three “a’s” in the middle of it for emphasis and extra amaaazingness. “I had an amaaazing time.” “You’re an amaaazing woman.” “Your body is amaaazing!” You would think they were juggling chainsaws and baking a cake while breastfeeding twins and bathing a cocker spaniel while looking super-hot! Now THAT would be amaaazing!

It is so awkwardly obvious what is going on. It is the verbal equivalent of buying a woman a drink in a club. As subtle as renting a porno movie.

They can’t ALL be amaaazing, can they? If they are, why are they lined up to do reality shows? If they are all amaaazing, where are the regular people? If every thing, situation, and blonde, and brunette is so amaaazing, why is the world so jacked up? If every parent, every child (mine are!) and every relationship is amaaazing, what do we say when we see a nine-month-old who can read, or a savant who can’t speak but can play Chopin, or Stevie Wonder, or Ben Carson, or that father who pushed his paraplegic son through an entire marathon because of a prior wish? Nope. Can’t call it amaaazing because you guys totally, literally diluted the uniquity — if you will — of that term to make some floozy think you were intense!

Save the superfluous superlatives for superlative situations. (I had to sit back and admire that one! Sorry.)

That goes for “miracle,” and “genius,” too!

January 7, 2009 - Posted by | Advice, Celebrities, Celebrity, Culture, Current Events, Food for Thought, Humor, Hyperbole, Language, Relationships, Sex, Sexuality, Shallow People, Show Business, Stuff I Hate, Television, Things That Make You Go Hmmm, Words

3 Comments »

  1. Derrick,
    This post was just amaaazing! You are amaaazing! Your kids are amaaazing! You know I think that your wife is amaaazing! Your musicianship is amaaazing! This is just amaaazng!!!

    To answer your question…what do we call all of these amaaazing people who do amaaazing things? AWWWESOME!

    HLT

    THAT was funny, Heather!

    Comment by heatherltrotter | January 7, 2009 | Reply

  2. How about “unbelievable?” They lambaste this one in sports with abandon! “A truly unbelievable performance…he joins the ranks of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan as the…” or “Their defense put out an unbelievable effort, it reminds me of the ’85 Bears…” If it’s “unbelievable” isn’t it plausible to think that said feat had not been done before therefore it is near impossible to believe?

    Comment by ricktrotter | January 7, 2009 | Reply

  3. This is so true! Another celeb that uses that word a lot is Beyonce. She says “amazing” ALL.the.time!!!!

    Hey, Erin. I hadn’t heard that one. But I am not surprised. That, and, “literally,” KILL me. Figuratively.

    Comment by Erin | January 16, 2009 | Reply


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