The Language of My Generation

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“LOL!” “OMG that nigga has so much swag! He got all the bad bitches!” “Hashtag, turn up!” If I were to say any of the previous phrases to my parents, grandparents, or any older generation for that matter, they would barely understand any of it and would probably shake their heads in disgust. That’s not a knock on my generation by any means, it’s just that times have changed. The culture has changed, the technology has changed, and so has the way we interact with each other. Thus, the language has changed. The language of my generation is evolving in revolutionary ways, and this can be attributed to hip hop culture, social media, and technology. I can look no further than music videos and the radio to see how hip hop culture has vastly changed our language over the years. Much of the music we listen to today is filled with explicit lyrics, and that can explain why my generation’s language has long been labeled as profane and disrespectful. The “N” word went from being a derogatory term used to belittle blacks, to being mainly used as a term of endearment today. This is due to rappers using “nigga” in practically every other line of their lyrics. Another example is the use of the word “bitch.” Like the “N” word, bitch has been thrown around in hip hop just as much, as a way of objectifying and degrading women. It has even become a term of endearment as well, as long as the word “bad” is placed in front of it. To older generations, the way we use such negative terms makes no sense, and it never will. My generation has become disconnected from previous ones, largely due to the culture changing. We never grew up in the slavery or civil rights eras, so we have no idea what it’s like to be discriminated against as much as the ones before us were. Although we do learn about it in school, the fact that we never actually experienced it is why the N word will never affect
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