From the TimesUnion in Albany NY: 'Baracking' is Hip, Respectful by Scott Waldman.
What up, my Obama?
In the hallways of Albany High School, that is the new hello.
If you sneeze, your friends at Albany High might say "Barack you." Goofing off in the hallway? "Barack's in the White House now" means cool it.
Presidents usually don't earn a blip on the radar of teenage American hipness. But Barack Obama's rise to the White House already has changed the way young people talk to one another. Creatively riffing on the unusual name — Baracking — is a natural progression of Obama's prominent spot in pop culture.
Along with simple phonetics, it's symbolic of young people's admiration, said Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University.
"It sounds like they are transferring their positive feelings about the person to new contexts," she said.
'What up, my Obama'??? Are you kidding me? If someone said that to me, I'd reply with "Who you calling a socialist, Commie-loving tax-and-spend baby-killing punk?"
And if someone were to say "Barack's in the White House", I'd probably come back with a "Thanks to morons like you."
Time will tell if this will be a short-lived trend destined to die a quick death along the shores of the Hudson, or sweep the nation like a pestilence. God is merciful, so I'm praying for a sudden demise.
This isn't the only time a politician's name has been adapted into the common lexicon. Remember Judge Robert Bork? When an individual is ravaged by the politics of personal destruction, that person is said to have been "borked". Maybe the time has come to say someone has been "baracked" - for when their income falls, their job disappears, or their personal freedoms are restricted. I can hear it now:
"Hey, LarryD! How come you're not blogging anymore?"
"Can't - I've been baracked."
Given the current state of affairs in our nation's capitol, I think it's time to create additional phrases and terms utilizing prominent members of the government. For instance....
A) "You're such a Dodd."
n.
B) "Don't teleprompt." -or- "Stop prompting." -or- Any variation thereof.
This basically translates to "Think for yourself."
C) "Geithnered"; ex: "The mechanic geithnered me out of $75!"
vi. to swindle; to cheat, esp. in financial matters; to avoid paying taxes.
D) "Frank" -ed, -ing
n. This is a Catholic blog - I can't get specific here.
v. See above definition.
Hmmm....now that I think about it, if someone were to say "Barack you" to me after sneezing, I'll just answer "Frank you!"
Feel free to post your own ideas and creations in the combox.
