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Shel Holtz
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Awesome, dude

by guest blogger Pete Shinbach

What’s with the word “awesome?”  I remember when awesome things were…. well, they were awesome. The Egyptian pyramids are awesome.  So’s Peru’s Machu Piccu, the Great Wall in China and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. In my lifetime, landing on the Moon was awesome.  So was the discovery of the polio vaccine and Don Larson’s perfect game.  But today, the bloom’s off the awesome rose. Two examples.

First, a few months ago, I was buying something somewhere and the price for the purchase was something like $1.08.  I gave the kid at the register a dollar bill and, fishing in my pants pocket, said something like, “I think I have the change.”  His response: “Awesome.”

Flash forward to this morning. I was on the phone with Wells Fargo Bank, telling them that I wanted to close one of my two accounts, a savings account somehow linked to a checking account. No need to get into why but suffice to say that I ain’t a happy Wells Fargo camper. Anyway, Rachel, the service rep with whom I was talking to close the account, asked me if I wanted to close my checking account as well.  I told here that there were some outstanding transactions that hadn’t cleared yet but that, when they did, I would close that account.  To do that, I told Rachel that I’d call the bank’s customer service number, much as I’d done to get connected with her. Her response: “Awesome.”

So, I’ve two questions:

For the kid at the register: Since when is having change for a dollar awesome?

For Rachel at Wells Fargo: Why do you think that my dissatisfaction with and desire to stop doing business with your company is awesome?

07/03/08 | 9 Comments | Awesome, dude

Comments
  • 1.Perhaps Rachel's other and higher-paying job is with Bank of America.

    The other question for them: Do you think?

    Diane | July 2008 | Chicago

  • 2.Awesome post! Brilliant! Very cool, and wicked pisser. This blog is hot.

    Sigh.

    John | July 2008 | Houston, TX

  • 3.As a Canadian, I've long cringed while listening to Americans and their carnival-barker excess of effulgent adjectives.

    Where something in Canada would be "not half bad," here it's amazing, a slice of heaven, tubular, etc. Ugh.

    I have one more contribution for you, though. I overheard two teenagers greeting each other recently.

    Teen 1: How are you?
    Teen 2: Awesome
    Teen 1, nodding: Awesome's good.

    JohnO | July 2008 | Oregon

  • 4.Hear, hear!

    I've long campaigned against the misuse of this once great word.

    Here's a passionate rant I wrote about it a couple of years back: http://youngie.prblogs.org/2006/03/09/awecoholics-anonymous/

    I picked up some great comments there too. It really is a global epidemic - primarily afflicting millennials.

    Paull Young | July 2008

  • 5.Bet you never said "awesome" when you used to walk twenty miles to school every day.

    Another thing that bothers me is that the kids these days listen to their rock and roll music so dern'ed loud.

    Jim | July 2008

  • 6.I know I'll never be a narrator for a National Geographic undersea special or IMAX film, so I'll continue to use 'awesome' as I always have.

    As a Ninja Turtles fan, I would always use the word "rad" or "radical" to describe things, in much the same way I would use "awesome." Then again, I was five at the time.

    ...maybe you have a point.

    Michael Allison | July 2008 | Victoria, BC

  • 7.Shel,
    Not too long ago we shared the stage at Avnet's social media conference. Before you hit the stage, We debated the business value of twitter in a B to B world. Zoom forward 6 months and I have been bitten by the social media bug and am present on most meaniful sites. At the end of the day, I prefer spending time with my 3 year old twins over updating any sites. A bit of perspective...

    Tim FitzGerald | July 2008 | Tempe, AZ

  • 8.Hi, Tim; nice to hear from you.

    We don't have space for me to rattle of the list of things I'd prefer to do than work! My kids are 26 and 19 and I still enjoy spending time with them. I like walking my dog, getting out to take pictures, going to the movies...

    But when I'm working, using social media is an integral part of my work. It's all "along with," not "instead of."

    Not sure what this has to do with "awesome," though...

    Shel Holtz | July 2008 | Concord, CA

  • 9.awesome is a great word that should be used when called for. It is all about the timing.

    I must agree that I also dont like it when people use it over and over again. http://www.fishingtripspennsylvania.com

    Pennsylvania Fishing | August 2008 | Lake Erie Pennsylvania

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