YOLO - Get your GOAT on!
You don't have to be old to be GOAT
I confess I'm always a bit behind when it comes to trends. By the time I've heard about it, it's been out so long, something new is on the horizon and whatever I've stumbled across is now almost passe'.
YOLO was the first one I noticed. One of my brothers as a young child innocently thought the word "faggot" the big boys were saying meant "fat maggot." It was difficult trying to explain to a five year old they were wrong and couldn't use that word. But using his logic, I would have thought YOLO was a combination of "yellow bolo." Not that I know anyone who even wears bolo ties. Or would want a yellow one. So, I didn't go there. I actually thought it was something similar to GOGURT, only instead of yogurt packaged for on the go, I thought it meant low calorie yogurt. Maybe my passion for food played a part in this train of thought. I just like food....what can I say.
Turns out it meant "You Only Live Once" but hey, anyone under thirty easily knew that. So, yeah, I'm a bit older than that -- by more than twice but don't tell anyone...
Being curious at heart though, I wondered how it became popular. Apparently a Canadian wrapper named Drake used it and popularized it in 2011.
"The phrase “you only live once” should inspire people to throw caution to the wind and follow their whims, wherever they may lead. It should be a call to seek adventure, but it appears that Drake has lost that message. The chart-topping Canadian rapper popularized the term “YOLO,” an acronym for “you only live once,” with “The Motto,” a bonus track from his excellent 2011 album, Take Care." (Excerpt source on Forbes: Does Drake Own YOLO?")
However, it seems even before Drake, YOLO was tracked to its earliest use by coughing scandal cheaters on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", Charles Ingram and wife Diana in 2001. If you gotta be known for something, might as well be for a coughing scandal, right? And for a million? I'll be more respectful to my next cough...
Then it was used by "Adam Mesh from the third season of the NBC reality show The Average Joe. Mesh launched the “You Only Live Once” (YOLO) clothing line on March 20th, 2004.[2]" (source: KnowYourMeme)
From there, KnowYourMeme tracks usage of YOLO through the years up until rapper Drake used it which triggered it to mainstream use. And then Drake wanted to punish others for putting it on clothing and leaving him out. But with the glass half empty/half full --- every clothing piece that sold was advertising he didn't have to invest in and it tied back to him. In the wise words of Kenny Rogers, "Sometimes you gotta know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em."
Ok, so now I had a good grasp of YOLO's origin, meaning and usage without a "fat maggot" assumption. And the disappointment that it wasn't yogurt....
But left me with puzzle of GOAT. I was lost. Because I'm old, my usages of "goat" consisted of:
- Smelly as a goat
- That old goat
- Got my goat
As you can see from my associations, I couldn't fathom where this GOAT trend was headed. I couldn't even come up with food ideas.
I thought it must be as absurd as saying "I'm the shit"... which means... "I'm the best" -- why not just stick with "I'm the best" because well, I'm not feeling that shit or gonna put up with that shit of calling me shit. I don't even want to be the best shit because shit is shitty and life is shitty enough without adding to shit or praising shit. Did I make that shit clear enough? OK, enough of this shit, let's get back to GOAT.
Ding Ding Ding!! Winner winner chicken dinner! GOAT means "Greatest of All Time". Wow! So being GOAT is way better than being "the shit" though both are smelly. But at least one is an intelligent creature and the other is just butt vomit. Who willingly refers to themselves as butt vomit like it's a good thing? Ewww!
So absolutely I'm going to stick with GOAT because, well YOLO, and I don't want the trauma or stigma of being the shit. No butt vomit here by damn, I'm the GOAT or bust!
And you know what, everyone should YOLO - Get Your GOAT on.
Wait - I didn't just make that sound obscene did I? Well, I guess IDGAF at this point. I'm done. Or am I "dead"?
I'm stopping now...
**********************************
I always try to share a different photo of me at the end of my stories so that if you read my stuff often (fingers crossed) you'll get to see the many different facets of me.
If you're wondering just who exactly wrote this piece, you can find more about me here. If you're intrigued to see what else I've written, more stories by me can be found here.
On the off chance you appreciated this piece, a heart would be appreciated. It is inspiration to keep moving forward on this writing journey. There is also a tipping option for those who may want to part ways with their hard earned money and for some odd reason impart it to me.
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About the Creator
Pam Reeder
Stifled wordsmith re-embracing my creativity. I like to write stories that tap into raw human emotions.
Author of "Bristow Spirits on Route 66", magazine articles, four books under a pen name, technical writing, stories for my grandkids.
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