Living in a perverse society has made us all a bunch of perverts. You’re probably thinking about sex now, right? Having unusual sexual proclivities is just one definition of the word. There are at least eight more. One of them is “to turn to an improper use”. With the increase in the use of Orwellian doublespeak, even words are being perverted. One of the words that has been the most perverted is the word “whatever”. People now use it when they want to be deliberately rude, dismissive, and insulting. Most of the time, it’s coupled with a desire to ridicule someone and make them feel as though their ideas are ridiculous or unimportant. In short, it has become a verbal weapon of choice for social sadists Here’s an example:
Jenny: It’s important to me that our children learn self-discipline.
Sam: Whatever.
But it’s not just emotionally abusive people or those who fancy themselves superior to others who use it in a perverse way. Sometimes it’s used by the intellectually challenged to hide their deficiencies in presenting logical arguments. Here’s an example.
Shannon: In response to your assertion that Coca-cola is helping the world by providing jobs for thousands, I refer you to the following statistical chart I have compiled from verified data sources. It clearly shows that the number of deaths caused by the Coca-cola company from the combined factors of drought, diabetes, obesity and tooth decay far outweigh the number of jobs they’ve created.
Dave: Whatever
As a lover of words, I’m aghast at the perversion of this beautiful and wise word. It is a word that says I accept reality just as it is and I don’t need to change anyone else’s reality or make them agree with mine through the use of any kind of force. We can both exist peacefully no matter what. It’s an all-inclusive word. I still don’t understand how peaceful acceptance came to be regarded with such disdain. My best guess is that peaceful acceptance is considered the axis of evil by the companies that profit the most from its absence. Big pharma comes to mind.
Rather than admit that our shrinking collective attention span is due to constant commercial interruptions, we agree to be drugged into focusing on things we wouldn’t be able to care about otherwise. Rather than admit that going to work every day at a despicable meaningless job for slave wages isn’t really worth staying alive for, we allow ourselves to be told our misery is a chemical imbalance called depression and drugged into continued productivity.
Instead of being drugged into accepting the unacceptable, I’m going to kneel at the altar of The Great Whatever. If enough of us do the same, we might be able to restore respect and meaning to our reality. Our national suicide rate suggests that consumerism isn’t making us happy. Our collective will to live seems to be fading as more people long for death if only to be reunited with their dignity.
Yeah, I know. Whatever.
The Big Picture 