The phrase "YOLO" is probably the worst acronym to live by. Ever. If you don't know what it really is supposed to mean. It is also, right next to the word "Swag", the most annoyingly misinterpreted phrase in the entire world. "YOLO" comes from the Old English words "Ye Only Live Once" which is now translated into "You Only Live Once". It doesn't mean, despite what Drake pretty much implied, do everything that's bad for you and illegal because it's cool. People don't realize this though. They think that "YOLO" is an excuse for doing something wrong. "Oh I have an important math test today? But my friends are skipping school to go to Taco Bell for a chalupa.... Well 'YOLO', looks like I'm having chalupas tonight!" The words that "YOLO" stands for are true. You do only live once. That doesn't mean, though, that you should live it with the idea that nothing you do will ever kill you or have a bad outcome along the road, because you know what? "YODO" exists also. Here's my hypothesis: If You Only Live Once, then You Only Die Once also. You don't want to make "YODO" come before you get to fully experience what "YOLO" really means. I'm talking about things like going skydiving, travelling to a different country, hand feeding a wild zebra, or something! Doing these things are how you can fully be able to say you have lived. People, especially teenagers today, think that "YOLO" means "Do all the drugs you can" or "Hey! You want that T.V. really badly don't you? But it's too expensive? Well stealing's fun too. And why don't you throw in a toaster while you're at it?" And then the worst part is that they really actually believe that this is what "Living" is. And they aren't subtle about it. I mean I volunteer at the Steppingstones Museum for Children and while I was there today, I saw a guy whose shirt said "YOLO: It's not a hobby. It's my occupation." Yea good luck getting money with that occupation. People these days do too much YOLOing, but not enough living, and unfortunately, that's the way they think it should be.
This is interesting I know I've heard you talk about it in school a lot. Have you considered how celebrities who start these things kind of ignore the importance of education? How as role models people like Drake and Justin Bieber don't set the best examples because at face value (at least) weed and money and material possessions are all you need. When is the last time you heard a JB song about getting educated? Mainstream music has become a bunch of nonstop party anthems. But music is an art form and I believe art says something about a generation. Why is it these things are valued? Could it have some root in the development of black communities and the importance of material things? With some rappers drugs and money were a product of a hard life. Now its been glamorized and capitalized on. As far as YOLO goes kids are consumed by the thought that success is drugs, sexual partners and material items. Education is not valued because if Drake started from the bottom well why can't I?
ReplyDeleteQuinten, this is a great blog post. I love your voice and your humor and also your insight. I appreciate Lex's point about "YOLO" being a piece of the fuel for anti-education...and I appreciate "YODO." Spread the word.
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