Do We Sound, Like, Dumb When We Talk?
Courtney Johnson, Contributing Writer
I’m sure you, like me, have had several professors
tell you that strong communication skills are a must
in the working world because the ability to commu
nicate well is what will make you stand apart from
competing job applicants. Speaking is a main form
of communication; we’re able to weave our thoughts
into coherent sentences and then vocalize them.
Although a coherent sentence is the goal, lately all I
hear w'hen people open their mouths to speak is the
word “like.” Often times, “like” is almost every other
word that’s spoken. I’ll give you an example, and
while I am paraphrasing, the following is close to a
word-for-word recount of a statement I recently over
heard on campus: “My family and I, like, decided to
go on, like, a vacation. We, like, looked up flights,
and like, found the best one. We’re going over like,
summer break, and I am, like, so excited!” No, I’m
not exaggerating, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I left
out a “like” or five. How difficult is it to read those
few short sentences that have been flooded with the
word “like”? Imagine if this person were writing
about her planned vacation—there’s no conceivable
universe in which she would put pen to paper and
write it out that way. I, being in “like” overload, re
cently counted the times one of my friends said it
over the span of about five sentences. I couldn’t
tell you what she was talking about because all I
could focus on was the maddening, superfluous,
unnecessary use of this one syllable word. The
final tally was 13 times.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, supposedly
we’re here at an institution of higher learning to
become more educated, to better prepare for a
career, and to make every attempt at becoming
the best candidate for a job. How, then, does one
expect to be considered the best of the best when
it seems impossible to speak without sound
ing (forgive me for being blunt), “like,” dumb?.
If you’re talking this way during an interview.
I’m sorry, but you’ve probably already defeated
yourself.
I am not saying that I don’t ever utter this
word; certainly, I do. But I can tell you that
hearing it roughly 500 times a day has made me
vigilant at attempting to eliminate it from my
speech unless'it is completely necessary within
a sentence. When is it necessary? Here’s an
example, “I don’t like it when you say ‘like’ too
much.” And, of course, it’s not just here on cam
pus that this happens—it’s everywhere. My point
in bringing it up is that we can all do something
to stop this assault on the spoken word. No, not
everyone will be a wordsmith, but we could all try,
like, harder.
Want more
linesISt Gripes?
Submit them to
herald@email.
meredith.edu"
Meredith Women and the
Obsession with Engagement
Alison Ridick, Staff Writer
We’ve all heard the stereotype that girls go to Mer
edith College to get their MRS. degree. Although this
seems ludicrous to actual Meredith students, in some
respects it actually holds true. Many of the students I
have met over my years here have one common goal:
to be engaged before they graduate. Two of the girls
who hold this viewpoint shared their views:
When do you plan on getting engaged? When
do you plan on getting married?
Girl 1:1 want to be engaged before I graduate on
Mother’s Day 2012. I want to graduate with a dia
mond ring on my finger. I want to live by myself for a
year after I graduate so I can learn to become self-
sufficient; I can learn to pay off my bills. I want to live
alone for a least a year also so I can plan my wedding
in that time.
Girl 2; I want to get engaged sometime soon, before
I go to Italy for study abroad in the next two to three
months. I want to get married after graduation (May
of 2012) so that I can have my babies immediately
afterwards. I want to be like my mom. She had all
her babies early so that we were all out of the house by
image via newyorkestatejewlery.com
the time she was 40 years old. By getting married
sooner and having my babies immediately I will
have more time to spend with my husband alone.
Why is getting engaged before you gradu
ate important to you? Why not wait?
Girl 1: Getting engaged early will allow me to
start my life plan sooner. After I get married, I
want to wait a long time, about five years, before
I have children. In those five years I will be able
to whatever I want with my husband on a whim
and not have to worry about my children. I will
be able to establish a financial routine with my
husband and we can get a chunk of my school
loans paid off. I want to wait five years also
because if something like divorce were to happen,
it would happen then. That time is for the pro
tection of me and him. After five years I want to
have 4 kids, about three to four years apart, and
the sooner I get started on that the more I can
guarantee myself that I will have all my babies at
a safe age.
Girl 2: I have been with my boyfriend forever,
about 3-and-a-half years. He has a stable job and
he already supports me. Last year I lived with
him for a year. I’m just tired of waiting and I just
want to make it official. The only thing that re
ally keeps us from being married is the marriage
certificate.
What do you think marriage this early will
help you accomplish in life?
Girl 1: Getting married early will help me ac
complish my dream of having many babies that
much sooner. I just want to have children; my
“There are many people
who end up rushing into
marriage not knowing
the partner very well
with a fairy-tale view of
marriage in mind.”
life revolves around them.
Girl 2: It will help me have babies sooner and I once
they move out, I will have the rest of my life to be with
my husband. I want to follow in my mother’s foot
steps; I want to be a young mother. I would like to be
married early because it will provide me with a sup
port system as I enter into the world after I graduate.
I would also like to have my kids young because my
mom is a young mom and we are very close. She was
always the “cool” mom and I want my kids to experi
ence that too.
I am flabbergasted that so many students at Mer
edith hold these views about getting married so early.
There are many people who end up rushing into mar
riage not knowing the partner very well with a fairy
tale view of marriage in mind. When these dreams
are shattered, divorce can result. Many people today
think that cohabitation will help you “practice” mar
riage, when in reality, couples who live together prior
to marriage are twice as likely to divorce. The di
vorce rate is already at 50 percent and who wants to
increase it? Many of us have unrealistic expectations
about marriage that can lead to divorce. The key is to
talk to other married couples and try to reconcile un
realistic expectations about marriage before diving in.