The Amazing Amazingness of Amazing Stuff

By Paul Hughes / April 19, 2012

Amazing.

Did it creep up on you as well?

This overuse of the word “amazing” just sort of … appeared.

Amazing.

Here I was just a moment ago trying to read about the Dodgers, and Don Mattingly wanting more instant replay — they’d lost recently to the Brewers on a questionable call to end the game — and up pops a Weight Watchers advertisement, with Jennifer Hudson allowing as how yeah she enjoyed the first iteration of WW she tried, but their new Points Program is … wait for it … amazing!

The word is effortlessly everywhere, with an emphasis on the word “effortless” because something that easy is surely not going to have any power or weight (no pun on the Points Programs intended) at all.

And lo and behold!

It doesn’t.

I swear to you that within the last week someone at a conference posted some social media saying, essentially, I’m at an amazing place with some amazing people, and I’m having a blast. Amazing. It was not significantly different. Fewer than 140 characters, and 21 of them were that word … times 3.

Amazing.

Here’s where I should be all lathered up about the decline of Western Civilization, but honestly, it’s not a big enough deal. Not amazing, if you will.

Because this too will run its course, and some new depredation will take its place.
Because the suppleness and subtlety of English means it can survive even this.
Because there are dozens of other violations of this sort every single day.

And maybe if we ignore it, the self-promotion tweets that start, “So pumped/jazzed/stoked to have my new blog/book/video out tomorrow. … ” — faux excitement as ways of mentioning something that you’re kinda sorta supposed to mention to “promote” events you’re involved in — will die die die die die.

Though no doubt many super amazing people were involved.

Doesn’t anyone just say thank you anymore?

It’s nothing short of

You know.

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