I really dislike the word “youngsters.”
I’ve been seeing it more recently, but it might just be catching my attention more now that it’s bothering me. I understand the difficulty in finding a good word to encompass all people from toddlers to teens, but “children” is a pretty good option without coming off as pseudo-folksy or condescending. Does anyone ever like being referred to as a youngster? It’s the word equivalent of the stereotypical rosy old aunt pinching child’s cheek. Sometimes ”youngsters” is used perfectly in earnest with sterling intentions, and that’s why it’s more equivalent to ”old folks” than “geezers.” But the distinction of genuineness doesn’t come across in print, so it just doesn’t work.
Some people (like everyone who ever had me as their editor) already know of other words I can’t stand. Myriad, plethora, kudos and utilized come to mind, though I’m sure there are others.
The common thread here is pretension. There’s too much trying to be folksy or trying to be sophisticated or offbeat or whatever. Sure, there’s a certain amount of obstinacy in hating them and I’m aware they can be quite useful. I’m also sure Ugg boots are very warm and useful in the snow. Gross.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 1, 2008 at 4:00 am
Dan
Don’t forget about juggernaut. You know how much you love juggernaut. It’s all you can do not to say, “juggernaut.”
July 1, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Kaci Boyd
And we all remember the beloved phrase, “raise awareness.”
July 1, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Lisa Waananen
The only thing I disliked about “juggernaut” was seeing it in my paper three times in one week. You know how there are certain shirts, say bright orange ones, that you just can’t get away with wearing twice a week? It’s like that.
And “raise awareness” predates me by quite a ways. In that case I’m not against the phrase so much as the concept. If a group isn’t actually doing anything, it’s probably not worth our attention.