David Sedaris writes about the absurdities of everyday life. His ear for language, especially when it comes to local vernacular and eccentricities is finely tuned.
He says in a post from his latest collection Calypso,
“In France the most often used word is ‘connerie,’ which means ‘bullshit’..
… and in America it’s hands-down ‘awesome,’ which has replaced ‘incredible,’ ‘good,’ and even ‘just OK.’ Pretty much everything that isn’t terrible is awesome in America now.”
Sedaris toldUSA Today,
“It just got out of hand to me. Everything’s awesome all the time. I was in Boulder, Colorado and someone said,
‘I’ll have a double espresso, awesome,’
and the other person said,
‘Awesome.'”
But Sedaris does admit that the word does have a time and place,
“I went to the Great Wall of China once, and I have to say, that was awesome. But that’s the only thing I can think of. Not a latte.”
Listen.