- “Trying to park the car was insane. I could not find a parking space anywhere.”
- “Yeah, this time of year she goes insane. Extremely anxious and what not.”
- “That’s insane!” (referring to the conditions of a jail cell show on television)
- “You find out about your first choice for college in March? It’s insane that you have to wait that long.”
- “You like dot drills? You’re seriously insane!”
- Insanity Workout-Get Fit or Get Out DVD (spotted at the store)
Although not all “self-quotes,” the frequent repetition of the word “insane” in a single day troubles me. It concerns me that not one of the quotes uses the words “insane” and “insanity” correctly in terms of the context and meaning of the quote. As I focus on the above examples, it seems to me that in the majority of the examples, the words “incredible” and “ridiculous” could appropriately replace “insane” and “insanity.” As I stare blankly at the computer screen, attempting to formulate explanations for the excessive and improper use of the word “insane” instead of a more descriptive synonym such as “ridiculous,” two words pop into my head, “laziness” and “ignorance.” After struggling to believe the patients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to be insane, the improper use of “insane” to describe someone (examples 2 and 5) irritates me. Why should a person with an unusual taste or a person with anxiety be grouped with someone of mental instability? I think the repetition of “insane” displays both the ignorance and laziness of society as people impulsively speak the first word that comes to mind, regardless of whether or not it relays the proper meaning. This same thing seems to happen with other words as well, like “retarded.” The misusage of each of these words seems demeaning and belittling to those who suffer from mental illness or compromised intellect. Although I know I cannot stop the improper use altogether, I will work diligently to only use word when appropriate in context.
Emily-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you...lately I've noticed people using this word in the wrong context. I feel as if English class makes me hyper aware of my surroundings dealing with the topics we discuss in class. In addition to "ignorance and laziness," I think we use words in the wrong context for the effect. I think people (including myself) exaggerate often times and appear very dramatic, for the effect. For example, I always say "I'm going to pee my pants," when in reality I most likely won't- at least I hope I will not. Or when someone asks how a test went I often say " Oh my gosh. I failed it. I definitely got an F," when once again this too is false and I usually end up with an A or a B. I would like to say I will try to stop doing this and thus be less dramatic, but for those who know me well, I probably will not.
Emily and Jillian, you both make excellent points about the misuse of the word "insane". The real definition of the word is as follows:of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged; utterly senseless. Therefore, we should be more mindful in choosing words to use in our everyday vocabulary to make us sound more intelligent. It also really bothers me when people use "retarted" out of context. For example, when people say, "Oh, my homework tonight for spanish class is retarted", they are ignoring the fact that they are using a very derogatory term that definitely offends people with certain mental disabilities or those who have relatives who are actually mentally retarted.
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