As IF Times

link Justin Bieber: Selena Gomez Is “Amazing!” – Healthy Lifestyle – UsMagazine.com.

There it is again.  That default word for describing everything in western society.  Amazing.  The dictionary.com  definition for amazing is:

–verb (used with object) 1. to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.

So for example, if you were standing next to someone and he pulled a chainsaw out of his ears, that would be considered amazing.  It’s unlikely Ms. Gomez performed such an amusing trick, so I wonder what it was that inspired such awe from Mr. Bieber.  Perhaps she was able to conjure up all manner of remarkable tricks.  For all we know, maybe she is able to apparate spontaneously like Jeannie from the old I Dream of Jeannie TV show.  That would in fact be amazing.  If her name was Grace, that would also be legitimate because there is a song which has already established that.

It is more likely that he was just using the word as everyone else in pop society does these days, incorrectly.  No doubt, Ms. Gomez is charming and reasonably attractive.  I’m not sure that would qualify as amazing, unless of course, Justin had very low expectations.  Not that long ago, the au courant word was ‘awesome’, as in awesome duudde!  Though also possessed of  hyperbole, awesome is a better adjective than amazing in describing superior events or objects. 

How does one have an amazing meal?  Did the food just appear from nowhere? Did it just leap onto the forks by itself?  I’m reasonably sure that people use the word because every one else uses it, not because they really understand what the adjective means.  We often hear that people’s vacations were amazing…how could that be?  No wonder then, that people attempting to learn the English language are so confused when confronted with modern speech.  English is the most dynamic language in the world and we’ve seen plenty of words hijacked over the years to mean things which are totally removed from the original definitions. In the 60’s it was ‘cool’ and ‘hip’.  In the ’80’s it was ‘radical’ or ‘rad’ for short.  But for some reason, the use of the word ‘amazing’ to describe all things pleasurable grates on me like sand in a swimsuit.  If people learned to use words properly, that would be amazing.

link Kanye West, Black Keys, Wiz Khalifa Lead 2011 Woodie Award Nominees – Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV.

If you get the feeling that nary a week passes without someone receiving some kind of award at some prestigious awards show, you may be right.   In the old days, if someone got nominated for an Oscar for acting, it was sold as a big deal.  The red carpets, the hairdos, the dresses and the heartfelt acceptance speeches all contributed to a sense of prestige and dignity to the Oscar ceremony.   Corporations took note of all the commercial possibilities surrounding this event and essentially cloned it with more and more august award shows.  In addition to the venerable Oscars, we now we have:

The American Music Awards

The Country Music Awards

The Emmy Awards (daytime)

The Emmy Awards (primetime)

The Grammy Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards

The People’s Choice Awards

The Tony Awards

The Golden Globe Awards

The SAG Awards

The Comedy Awards

The AVN Awards

and now the Woodie Awards

Well this is all great, especially the last one.  All awards are prestigious and recognize excellence somehow in their field of entertainment.  For the record, the AVN awards are given out for excellence in the adult film business.  The Woodie awards is to my knowledge, not related.   I suggest that these shows all originate in the minds of people in the formal wear rental business, but also people renting red carpets, hairstylists and of course the Tabloid publishers.  Not to mention those employed in the business of writing original acceptance speeches.  A very rough math calculation of  at least 14 award shows multiplied by 20 to 30 winners/speeches  per show yields enough work to keep a cottage industry of speechwriters going. 

Apart from the very important social significance of these prestigious  awards,  the ongoing symbioitic dynamic of  narcissism /voyeurism that exists in the entertainment world is amply on display.  There never seems to be enough adulation for entertainers but there also appears to be infinite demand by fans.  Imagine being fortunate enough to entertain people for a living, get paid gazillions of dollars to do so, have international fame and then to get an award supporting your greatness!  It’s amazing anyone goes to school at all to become doctors or scientists.  

Years from now, as the accomplishments of entertainers are under review by future generations, comparisons will be made as to the greatness of each personality, in what else, a lifetime achievement award show.  Many people will have accomplished many goals in their field and some may even be talented enough to score awards in different disciplines.  When all is said and done however, your career is incomplete if you haven’t been fortunate enough to get a Woodie.