Sapper's (Fair & Balanced) Rants & Raves: T'aint Funny, Tsarnaev!
T'aint Funny, Tsarnaev!
Farhad Manjoo began today's article with a misstatement. Manjoo recounted an exchange of text messages between Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and one of his undergrad chums, Dias Kadyrbayev. The chum had seen the televised photos of the two suspects in the Boston Massacre II. The chum mentioned the likeness of the younger Tsarnaev in the photos and the surviving suspect in the bombing texted a reply: "RIP LOL." Translation: the SOB was "Laughing Out Loud" about the deaths and life-threatening injuries the two bombs caused. Manjoo missed the cold-blooded "RIP" in Tsarnaev's awful text-reply. So, here is what would make this blogger "LOL": 'tis the thought that  after he is executed  (and there is such a place as Hell)  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would shackled in tandem with Timothy McVeigh while the flames flickered at their feet through eternity. THAT would be worthy of an "LOL" from this blogger. If this is a (fair & balanced) appropriate use of "RIP LOL, so be it.
LOL: Write It. Text It. But Never, Ever Say It
acceptable almost amusement charges common conversation dzhokhar emails emotion english everyone explain express fine friend general going language laughing literal lol longer mcwhorter moment noob online people point really seems shorthand silly slang social someone something speech surprise talking teenagers terms terrorist text think tsarnaev typing universal used ways wonder
From now on, I’m going to start using lol unapologetically, and if you aren’t already, you should too. We ought to celebrate lol as a succinct, universally recognized way to express emotion in text-heavy media—emails, IMs, texts, tweets, and the like—that are otherwise cold and unemotional. Like the best slang, lol is endlessly flexible: Depending on context, it can stand in for a wide range of emotions, from amusement to pity to confusion. For instance, it’s a handy way to temper the literal meaning of an otherwise douchey statement: Can’t go to prom with you, asking Greg, lol. It’s also a way of saying nothing while appearing to say something—the textual equivalent of laughing something off. That’s how Dzhokhar was using it. In three letters, he got across what must have been a fairly complex emotion: It’s funny that you think I’m a terrorist, and notice that I’m not denying it, but really, wouldn’t it be surprising to you if I were a terrorist—and maybe I’m even a little bit sorry about what you’re going to find out about me....
This is true of many expressions born online. Lol, rotfl, brb, imho—they all belong on the page. The other day I heard someone say the word sadface in conversation, and I must confess that I threw up a little in my mouth. Lol! Ω
Posted by Neil Sapper at 5/07/2013 12:45:00 PM
Sapper's (Fair & Balanced) Rants & Raves: T'aint Funny, Tsarnaev!
T'aint Funny, Tsarnaev!
Farhad Manjoo began today's article with a misstatement. Manjoo recounted an exchange of text messages between Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and one of his undergrad chums, Dias Kadyrbayev. The chum had seen the televised photos of the two suspects in the Boston Massacre II. The chum mentioned the likeness of the younger Tsarnaev in the photos and the surviving suspect in the bombing texted a reply: "RIP LOL." Translation: the SOB was "Laughing Out Loud" about the deaths and life-threatening injuries the two bombs caused. Manjoo missed the cold-blooded "RIP" in Tsarnaev's awful text-reply. So, here is what would make this blogger "LOL": 'tis the thought that  after he is executed  (and there is such a place as Hell)  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would shackled in tandem with Timothy McVeigh while the flames flickered at their feet through eternity. THAT would be worthy of an "LOL" from this blogger. If this is a (fair & balanced) appropriate use of "RIP LOL, so be it.
LOL: Write It. Text It. But Never, Ever Say It
acceptable almost amusement charges common conversation dzhokhar emails emotion english everyone explain express fine friend general going language laughing literal lol longer mcwhorter moment noob online people point really seems shorthand silly slang social someone something speech surprise talking 
teenagers terms terrorist text think tsarnaev typing universal used ways wonder
From now on, I’m going to start using lol unapologetically, and if you aren’t already, you should too. We ought to celebrate lol as a succinct, universally recognized way to express emotion in text-heavy media—emails, IMs, texts, tweets, and the like—that are otherwise cold and unemotional. Like the best slang, lol is endlessly flexible: Depending on context, it can stand in for a wide range of emotions, from amusement to pity to confusion. For instance, it’s a handy way to temper the literal meaning of an otherwise douchey statement: Can’t go to prom with you, asking Greg, lol. It’s also a way of saying nothing while appearing to say something—the textual equivalent of laughing something off. That’s how Dzhokhar was using it. In three letters, he got across what must have been a fairly complex emotion: It’s funny that you think I’m a terrorist, and notice that I’m not denying it, but really, wouldn’t it be surprising to you if I were a terrorist—and maybe I’m even a little bit sorry about what you’re going to find out about me....
This is true of many expressions born online. Lol, rotfl, brb, imho—they all belong on the page. The other day I heard someone say the word sadface in conversation, and I must confess that I threw up a little in my mouth. Lol! Ω
Posted by Neil Sapper at 5/07/2013 12:45:00 PM