Gen Z and Me

These days it seems I have forgotten how to speak in English, which is kind of surprising given that English has always been my forte. I mean, I consider myself so lucky I was born and brought up in a big metro. I had access to the best education and studying in a convent school only gave me an edge over so many others who didn’t have this privilege. Being an only kid and born in a time when there was no internet, the only entertainment I had besides playing out in the evenings was – Reading. I loved reading and was a voracious reader.  I also remember vividly, solving crossword puzzles with my dad. I think all this helped me immensely in my student days. I wonder then why is it that I cannot comprehend what the Gen Z kids say these days. I mean, it almost seems they are speaking in some alien language which only people of their generation understand. 

For instance, I have always thought Ohio was the name of a state in the US. But my daughter, giving me the same look I give her when she cannot solve a simple algebra problem, tells me it means something strange or weird. So why Ohio, I wonder. Why not Nebraska or Alaska or any other state. And then, have you heard of the word “bussin”? No, I don’t mean a bus used as a mode of transport. Bussin is used to depict if the food is good. Well, in my days we used delicious or scrumptious or tasty. And even I as type the word “bussin”, Microsoft Word fails to recognize it and is unable to autocorrect it. Or the word “cap”. From what I know, a cap is something worn on a hot summer day to protect oneself against the scorching sun. But my daughter tells me cap means something that’s not true. Well, didn’t lie mean something not true? When did the word change, I wonder? 

With more conversations with my daughter in a Starbucks coffee shop (that’s the best place to get a teen to talk to you, you know), I learn more such words, which are supposed to be English but specific to the GenZ. Like the word “drip” which I learn has nothing to do with the saline drip that’s given to a dehydrated patient in a hospital. Turns out, it means someone wearing a cool outfit. Or Salty. As a mother and wife, cooking 3 meals a day, there is only ONE meaning I know for that word, Turns out, it is used to describe someone who feels bitter or jealous.  
Then there are other words such as Sigma, Skibdi and Rizz. Each of these can be used in silo and sometimes used in conjunction with each other. 
“I have so much to learn, kiddo. I do not understand this slang” I said to my kid, and she rolls her eyes and responds “IYKYK”, leaving me to once again google the meaning “If you know, you know”.

                              ………..Leena