October 28th, 2024Kyle’s Rant
Just had the great-nephew over from New Zealand. I say great, not because he is great, although he is, but because he is my sister’s daughter’s child. So I guess that makes him great rather than grand. Not sure. Happy to be corrected.
He’s 14 now and first started visiting us on his own at just 12. He loves Glenlyon and thinks Radio Springs Hotel is the most friendly place in the world. Alcohol will do that to you. Not him, the friendly adults.
Then we took him to Japan this year in April which was great fun. We don’t have kids so we finally get to do all the kid stuff that looks odd when you are an older adult.
And he didn’t even mind that we popped him on a rickshaw for a ride around an old historic town and its onsen. Matsuyama if anyone is wondering.
And he told us this time around that he doesn’t think of us as old. Maybe in our 30s and much younger than my sister and her husband, which is very nice. I passed on that news very quickly.
And so, thinking we are young, he spent some time teaching us the latest words the young people are speaking. That was interesting. Laugh Out Loud is long gone although he does use it for fun.
But think of words like Sigma, or my favourite, Skipidi. They both have pretty much no meaning and can be used at any time, for anything. Work that one out.
So for example, you could say “see you on Monday, sigma”. Might be good, might be bad, no-one really knows. Still getting my head around the point of it all, as least when we were young our slang had meaning.
Then there’s the phrase “put the fries in the bag, lil bro” – a sort of putdown for people working in menial jobs. I asked if I could use that in the McDonald’s Drive Thru and he said I would probably end up wearing a McShake.
“Cap that” means that it’s wrong or bad. Where I always thought it was a reference to a bullet, as in “put a cap in you”.
There’s another one I won’t mention here because it is quite rude but the woman who coined the phrase has since made millions off TikTok and other social media platforms.
Oh, “rizz” is short for charisma so that was an easy one to work out and then there’s “brainrot” which is a term for all the useless words and web scrolling being carried out by Generation Alpha. As in my great nephew.
His generation also finds it hilarious when other generations try to use their language, as did independent Australian senator Fatima Payman talking in Parliament last month.
Just some of her speech went like this: “To the sigmas of Australia, I say that this goofy ahh government have been capping”. (Lying.) “Just put the fries in the bag lil’ bro.” (Labor, do your job.) “You can forgor (forget) all about watching Duke Dennis or catching a dub (win) with the bros (friends) on fort (the game Fortnite).”
And then – “I would be taking an L (losing) if I did not mention the opps, who want to cut WA’s “gyatts” and services tax. The decision voters will be making in a few months’ time is between a mid government, a dogwater (unskilled) opposition or minor parties and independents that will mog (be better) both of them.”
Anyway, it was a lot of fun having him around for the week and we think next year we might do a roadtrip from Darwin to Alice or vice versa.
Donna and I lived in Alice for a bit and there’s something about the red of the Outback. We feel like we have to keep it happening because in a few more years he will work out that we are old and will choose his friends over us, as it should be. But for now, he’s our friend and we are his fun, and young, uncle and aunt. Feels good. Family rant, more rave, over.
