“It tastes so good once it hits your lips!” Have you ever heard that around Boston University?
How about this old favorite? “Now the Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1-2:10.
What do all these inspired comedic quotes have in common? Well, one is part of a fully developed BU epidemic of annoyance, cliché and herd mentality that I refer to as the “Old School Trend.”
When I arrived at BU in Fall 2003, Old School was new to DVD and it became nearly impossible to walk around campus without overhearing “Frank the Tank,” “You’re my boy, Blue,” or “I bet that creepy freshman eavesdropping on us has never had sex.”
In any case, I realized early on that on a college campus, something like Old School, which is popular and easily quotable, is repeated at a pace that takes it from clever and cutting edge to annoying and cliché. It was not long before I realized Old School was not alone, but was only the poster child for a much larger trend.
What feels like a funny inside joke with your friends is soon heard everywhere, rapidly going from something that makes you laugh to making you wonder why people are allowed to talk.
This process is taken to another level at an upper-echelon school like BU, where students often feign intelligence, and like to believe they are in on something and understand it in ways that other, less knowledgeable, people simply couldn’t.
And with this past weekend’s release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, it seems as though it will not be long before BU is inundated with “High fiiive,” “I liiike” and anti-Semites with bushy mustaches.
So, with the enshrinement of Borat into the Old School Trend Hall of Fame looming, it is only proper to take a look at the other BU inductees.
In my nearly three-and-a-half years here, several cultural releases have taken there rightful place next to Old School. These include Dave Chappelle’s Rick James and Lil John impressions, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
Many of us have had that kid in their political science or history class who deems it necessary to explain why what Jon Stewart said is funny. Or the friend who was convinced he sounded just like Dave Chappelle when he screamed “Yeeeahhh!” To those people, I commend you for beating a dead horse because the Old School Trend could not have been born without your undying vigilance to annoy.
But, not every BU member of the Old School Trend Hall of Fame has to do with films or television shows. In order to qualify for induction, something needs only to become so popular and so repeated that its clichéd usage becomes the bane of your existence.
With that in mind, let us meet our first inductee, girls’ Facebook quotes, specifically those that are from Sex and the City. For many BU girls, it seems having a quote from Sex and the City is the only way to properly convey their experiences with friends.
We have all seen Facebook profiles with Sex and the City quotes with the messages of “I want true love,” “I want to meet Mr. Right” and “If I cast my vagina wide enough, I am bound to catch some man who wants to marry me.” Maybe Sarah Jessica Parker phrases it a tad differently, but you know you have seen these quotes everywhere.
Similarly, quotes along the lines “living in the moment,” “living for the moment” and “living each day to the fullest,” seem less like honest descriptions, and more like clichéd excuses to black out and sleep around.
For me, no BU Old School Trend Hall of Fame debate is complete without mention of a T-shirt God seemed to have in mind when he invented ways to waste $10. Of course, I am talking about “BU Football . . . Undefeated Since 1997.”
It is a joke that went from being mildly clever, to kind of annoying, to making you pine for the wit and subtlety of Carlos Mencia. To be fair though, my dislike of the shirt might result from the failure of my T-shirt line, “Jokes That Stopped Being Funny in 1998.”
Now, many of you are probably saying to yourselves, “I still find these things funny and enjoyable.” You are also probably saying I am cynical, jaded and possibly sexist.
Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinions, and you could be right on all accounts. But before you judge my character, just remember I am honest, humble and sincere when I write that I really hate Sex and the City quotes.
To those people who still judge me, however, I implore you to give the column a second chance, and hear what it sounds like when you read it aloud. Because when you do, you will realize it sounds so good once it hits your ear. Once it hits your ear, it’s so good.