“Really?”
Back a number of years ago, I tried to put an end to the term, “Whatever.” At least in my little corner of the world. John Lennon said that “Apathy isn’t it.” And I believe that. Any person content to dismiss a situation with a single word seemed like part of the problem to me. And the term had an air of condescension to it, as though some kind of beachhead was gained for the person who cared least. I railed against it, chose not to associate with people who used it and let it infuriate me to no end. Eventually, either the word lost its spunk or people eventually realized that not caring put them, actually, in a place of disengagement that has little worth in most of life’s real endeavors. I suppose I just outlasted the “Whateverers.”
Enter “Really?” Not since “whatever” have I had this kind of visceral reaction against a word. For the most part, memes like “Really?” gain popularity because they make communicating a complex idea simpler. The NY Times has put the term to good use in their Science section, with a column by Anahad O’Connor called “Really?” where she tackles science questions, mostly pertaining to health. In that case it’s not sarcastic, so it sets up the column well. But when it does veer into the sarcastic, the message often gets lost. Take the article that ran in the LA Times Business section this morning, entitled: “GOP rides on the ‘Daisy ad’ storm. Really?” By adding that single word, we get it – the author is incredulous.