Today in modern America, citizens have shied away from words such as “sick” and “ill.” In fear of sounding conceited many people have begun spitting out unnecessary, wordy phrases to state their health such as, “I am feeling under the weather.” No longer can one word and a contraction do justice. Those who have sore throats, stuffy noses, and an aching head can no longer say, “I’m sick.” They must now strain their voice boxes even more and go the extra mile. America- we must get this straight.

Where did all this originate? When did words that once meant “bad health” become “cool?” My theory behind the origination of this phenomenon starts in some basement adorned with psychedelic posters and adolescents who think it is dorky to wear a belt, letting their jeans sag down to their knee caps. After the planet Pluto was denounced from our Solar System, these teens thought it would be amusing to shock the world, confused them, and leave them speechless. Adults are now buying a surplus of throat lozenges and chicken noodle soup that are unwanted and extraneous, thinking that when their child scores an “A” on their math test they are “sick.” Families are facing poverty, heading to the doctors every time something “sick” or “ill” happens.

If “sick” now means “cool” does “healthy” now mean “‘uncool?” questions remain. I cringe at the sound of the words strung together, as obnoxious teens roam down the hallways of my high school like cattle, blurting out, “That party this weekend was illsicknasty.” There is no punctuation between the words; no break, no pauses- just a string of words that are used incorrectly and in poor taste.

Bell bottoms and leggings have come back in style; can’t the words of our past come back in style? How about “Neato,” “super,” “nifty?” Can’t we just cut straight to the point and say we are sick without sounding like our heads have blown up to three times their original size? Stop the madness! Stop the craze! Stop the poverty and get your parents off the streets! It’s flu season, a time to be sick, not “‘cool,” unhealthy, SICK.