Awkward Turtles are an Endangered Species

Rachel Bernstein

I hate the word awkward. It is my goal to make the word obsolete by the year 2013. The word itself is awkward. I hate the tone that people use when they say it. I hate that people use the word to end long silences. Throwing out the word awkward makes the social situation more awkward. The word is a crutch for people who cannot deal with social situations. And now, the word awkward has transformed into an overused word that has lost all meaning similar to the word “like”. Talking on the phone, speaking to parents or friends, saying hello or goodbye – everything is somehow “awkward”. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2154

People all over the world are using it. If I went to Scotland tomorrow and I said awkward during a semi-uncomfortable situation, the only strange thing about me would be my American accent. Even if I said the word in Spanish, incomodo, it would be instantly recognized by anyone around to hear it. Even celebrities overuse it to the point of annoyance. Everyone’s favorite disney channel stars are saying it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7JLzCQbJw. But why is this word so accepted and overused in the world? It’s not exactly a positive word. It describes a difficult or uncomfortable situation. So, why does being able to describe an unpleasant situation in a tiny, two syllable word become such a fascinating and regular part of people’s daily language, and how has it become a worldwide phenomenon?

The various forms that the word can take are not any better than the original. Awk, awky, fawkward, fawky, gawky are all abbreviations of the word that are also commonly used. And the amount of times a day I see the hand motions signaling awkward turtles, palm trees, unicorns, bears, snowmen, insects, and even vegan turkeys, are endless. Apparently these hand motions are supposed to diminish awkward silences or situations. But I highly doubt that most people would end an awkward silence with their ex boyfriend that they ran into on the street by whipping out an awkward unicorn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNiGOGMdZgE

This word has become so overused that physcologists have gotten involved. Jason Brand LCSW seems to think that the word awkward has become a defiant generation gap. Adults who grew up in a different generation used the word awkward when the situation actually called for it. They might have said, “Oh my daughter is going through her awkward phase”. I can accept the word used in this way. But, the word has been taken hostage by teens and they have applied the word liberally. “It has gone beyond wearing a neck-tie to church or getting a kiss from mom while being dropped off for school. For kids, awkward is everywhere”. http://www.jasonbrandmsw.com/?q=node/34

The thing I hate the most about the word awkward is how it causes people to act. When there are social situations that are somewhat difficult to handle, people rely on the word awkward to get them out of it or use it as an excuse for their behavior at that moment. I think uncomfortable situations are a part of everyday life and people need to learn how to adapt to them. They should learn how to make the best of each situation that they find themselves in before giving up, throwing out the word awkward, and leaving. I have a friend that I’ve known for about 4 years and I see him periodically throughout the year. When I see him I say something like, “hey Jack, how are you? I haven’t seen you in so long, I’ve missed you! And he usually replies, “uhh hi? I’m like good. That’s awkward that you missed me…” Jack is just an example that I use, but the fact is that millions of teenagers act like this and use “awkward” as a way to get around conversing with people in a mature way. I’m not saying everyone needs to discuss the role of economic diversification in climate change adaptation around the lunch table in the cafeteria. But, I do think that as adolescents mature, they should be able to adjust to situations that they aren’t used to.

Now, as much as I hate this word and want it to be eliminated from the English language, my goal is to make it obsolete by the year 2013, and not immediately. I recognize that this word is a major part of pop culture. It comes up in movies, books, TV shows, even songs. There are entire youtube videos devoted to awkward silences: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I0q39dGVV0. I propose various substitutions that people can use instead of awkward such as wacky, strange, silly, weirdy, weird, uncomfortable. To prevent any of these words from becoming the next “awkward”, it would be ideal for people to use them interchangeably and sporadically. I must admit that I use the word awkward every so often. But, in order to reach my 2013 goal, I have used it less and less and I have proven it possible to let go of the word and adapt to the situations in which I find myself. So, the next time you feel awkward, “Instead of whipping out the turtle, whip out your social skills.” ~SHELBY T

~Rachel B.