Every year, multiple dictionaries and search engines release the most popular words used and searched for by the public. The American Dialect Society, Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries are just a few of the many institutions that release these lists annually. Important terms like #BlackLivesMatter and slut-shaming have earned recognition on tops lists over the past couple years. But of course there are the ridiculous words, phrases, hashtags and acronyms that managed to squeeze their way into prominence over time. Like FOMO, YOLO, nom, sharknado, salty (in the “u mad bro” sense), muffin top, vape—seriously, the list can go on forever. There’s actually a list for words and phrases that have been so overused, Lake Superior State University would just love to probably erase them from history. I’d like to hold on to “yaaassss” though. “Yes,” really just isn’t good enough sometimes.
Courtesy: Tumblr
Oxford Dictionary took things to a new level this year by crowning an emoji 2015’s Word of The Year. The “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji beat equally cringe-worthy but trendy phrases like “lumbersexual” and “on fleek.” This isn’t to say the Tears of Joy emoji is a bad choice. Among the many emojis we have, it’s one of the most popular aside from the heart emoji. So exclusively among emojis, it wasn’t a poor decision. But choosing it as a “word” of the year? Deciding if that’s positive or negative really depends on the perspective taken. For all of the people screaming “Is nothing sacred anymore??” here are a few alternate phrases that could’ve topped the Tears of Joy emoji for 2015.
1. Marriage equality
This was a huge moment for The United States in 2015. The Supreme Court decision was monumental and people all over the internet sounded off in rejoice and also resistance. Kim Davis, please take a seat. Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide in countries like The Netherlands since 2001, Spain and Canada since 2005, and Brazil since 2013. It was about time The United States got on the wagon. There are still plenty of issues surrounding the acceptance of same-sex marriage, especially on the state-by-state basis, but the federal decision was a massive step forward.
2. #Trump2016 and #Kanye2020
These are powerful, but not necessarily in a good way. This year has shown us that the presidential race is becoming a bit absurd. It’s becoming more and more like a high school popularity contest where the loudest person with the most money dominates. At this point, if Donald Trump is leading in Republican polls, heck, why not let Kanye run in 2020.
Courtesy: Unphotogenic Philosophy
3. Solidarity
It’s a word that blankets overall unity spanning multiple issues that have been spotlighted this year. Throughout 2015, this has spanned from the issue of police brutality to women’s rights, from racism to terrorism. Important campaigns like Black Lives Matter and HeforShe have helped unify people of different backgrounds around a common issue. The recent attacks in Paris and Beirut have also triggered a worldwide unification that often occurs during tragedies. 2015 has definitely been a year for focusing on the importance of unconditional support across the realms of culture, gender, race, sexuality and religion.
Courtesy: CBC News
4. Hello
Not a normal “Hi, how are you doing?” I mean Adele’s “Hello.” The world completely lost it when Adele released her comeback single. I saw students listening to it in the middle of class, friends told me they ran home from work to jump on the computer and people were posting reactions all over the internet. It was absolute madness. Now that 25 released, there will be even more musical hysteria. As if Adele wasn’t amazing enough already, “Hello” has broken multiple records. It’s the first song to sell 1 million downloads in a week and the music video topped the list for most views in 24 hours at over 27 million.
5. #MileyWhatsGood
Even if you’re neither a fan of Nicki Minaj nor Miley Cyrus, this 2015 MTV Video Music Award moment not only left people shocked but raised important questions about the entertainment industry. #MileyWhatsGood became an internet meme, but I think most of Nicki’s main message about black women in the entertainment industry got a bit lost in the drama. Nicki helped raise the point that the some individuals in the entertainment industry love the sensationalized parts of black culture with rapping and twerking, but don’t see major race-related issues. Although Nicki’s point got muddled, she definitely got the world talking.