Fox News posts this AP story on the addition of the word "meh" to the Collins English Dictionary (Harper/Collins);
The origins of "meh" are
murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001
episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer suggests a day trip to his
children Bart and Lisa.
"They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV," said Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries.
The
dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom,
or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring...
The
dictionary's compilers said the word originated in North America,
spread through the Internet and was now entering British spoken English.
It seems fitting that 21st century America should be the origin of a new term expressing boredom or indifference. Europeans may also find it appropriately monosyllabic. Americans must be chronically - maybe pathologically - bored to actually sit still for "reality" television. We're so indifferent in politics that a majority of us voted just for fill-in-the-blank "change" (Obama to America: "Don't you want to know where I stand on policy?" ... America: "Meh. Surprise us." ... Obama: "Okay.").
I personally prefer "Feh.", which expresses boredom with a dash of contempt.
I was driving with my son this weekend and the subject of boredom came up somehow, probably related to the fact that he's a teenager. This was between our bits of conversation, his I-pod and texting on his phone. My teenaged daughter also frequently suffers from boredom. The teenaged brain, with all the surging energies of youth, apparently has a low resistance to boredom. Their immune system must be especially susceptible to it. Perhaps the scientists can develop some kind of shot - like an innoculation? I was often bored at that age, too.
I'm not now. I don't remember the last time I was bored. I have the opposite problem... too many things competing for my attention at one time. It's the old Attention Deficit thing manifesting in some interesting ways as I plunge headlong into middle age. As I said to a friend on a recent canoe trip, I have more that I want to do right now than I could accomplish in ten lifetimes. That makes me impatient with bored people. I hold to Chesterton's axiom;
There
is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing
that can exist is an uninterested person.
One of the surest innoculations against boredom, I think, is learning to read books. Not just learning to read, but getting in the habit of buying books and picking them up and reading them all the way through, and thinking about them... then picking up another.
A robust faith in the providence of God, an awareness of his hand in nature and in life, though, is even better. God is a great storyteller, also fond of surprises, and even jokes. Practical jokes, sometimes.
Vermont Couple Keeping Child's Species a Secret
Paul and Melinda Hamling of Grumpton, Vermont have upset family, friends an neighbors by refusing to specify or confirm their child's species. Now about two (in human years) the youngster reportedly sometimes chooses to be taken in a stroller, and other times chooses a leash for daily walks around the neighborhood. He/she has been seen running after robins and other area birds, as well.
"We want Anton (not his real name... or gender) to have choices", said his/her Mom, "He/she loves to sleep with Petey, our terrier, sometimes, but s/he also spends a lot of time with out cats, Buster and Keaton. We also have a ferret s/he has responded to very positively, and s/he has been curious lately about the squirrels in our yard. We just want (Anton) to be free to make that choice for him/herself, because it will probably have a lot of impact on his/her life... how s/he sees him/herself, who or what s/he will marry or mate with, what kind of food or Purina chow s/he may prefer."
Family members and friends have been mostly outwardly tolerant of the practice, while making faces and swirling motions at the sides of their heads in private or while the parents' backs are turned.
Others have been more vocal in their questioning of the parents' judgment. "Are you, just... batsh*t crazy?"... that's what I said", an anonymous uncle shared. "I mean, seriously... what if the kid chose to be a rock? Would they leave him in the garden, or use him/her to prop up the leg of a picnic table? I did bring him/her a bag of dog treats for his/her birthday, like they asked, but only because I didn't want to raise a stink".
Neighbors' reactions have been mixed, "I'm not sure about letting my Gracie play with him/her. I mean, what if s/he's something like a pit-bull or a badger? That could be dangerous. No, I'm afraid we won't take that kind of risk unless they at least give us the phylum."