What does YOLO (“You Only Live Once”) mean to you? An obvious remark? A way of life? A stupid overused phrase? Whatever your connotation may be, YOLO is unavoidable whether it is used in a mocking fashion or as a rationalization of reckless acts.
On the flipside, YOLO can also be used as a reason to value your choices and make smart decisions. You only live once, so why take your chances? This clearly isn’t the message Drake had in mind in his song “The Motto” from which all the insanity began, but living your life to the fullest and making bad choices are two very different notions.
It really comes down to the old riddle. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Are people acting in this careless, dangerous manner because of the YOLO epidemic or did the fad start because of people’s crazy actions? Regardless, YOLO is a pathetic excuse for acting like an idiot and not valuing life with irresponsible, life-threatening actions.
There’s a thin line between bravery and stupidity. Living in the now and being spontaneous is healthy. Travel often, eat well, do fun things, explore a different side of yourself. That’s what YOLO should be all about. Instead, this generation is using the phrase as a justification for drunk driving and excessive risky behavior that provides little-to-no personal gain.
YOLO mockery is just as prevalent and annoying as the typical YOLO usage. There are two kinds of YOLO jokes: the sarcastic YOLO and the outrageous YOLO.
The sarcastic YOLO joke consists of an everyday activity, suggesting a sarcastic tone, followed by YOLO. For example: the Twitter account @YOLOjokes tweeted, “Showering naked #YOLO.”
The outrageous YOLO consists of an over-the-top insane act followed by YOLO. @YOLOjokes tweeted, “Putting vinegar in my mom’s contact solution #YOLO.”
After seeing it “hashtagged” in every tweet and mentioned in countless Facebook statuses, one can only wonder what’s next. But like that awesome song you can’t help but play a million times, we all know YOLO will be short-lived, or shall I say, will only live once. I propose a reevaluation of the motto. We need an acronym with more room for interpretation. CHS students, for my very sanity, I beg you to consider any of the following phrases as a replacement for YOLO. If I’m told how many times I live just one more time, I may have to transfer.
