There are certain phrases in the English language that frustrate me. I am sure there are many examples of these kinds of phrases in other languages, but alas, I am only fluent in English, so I will examine some English phrases in order to show their futility.
1. "It is what it is."
What an utterly meaningless statement. Yes, I know the message it conveys, but the actual words that comprise this commonly uttered sentence are truly pointless when composed in this combination. "it is what it is" ... No, really? It would take a serious sophist many moons to convince me that there is at least one thing that is not what it is. Everything that is, is what it is. So please, everyone, stop saying this. Here are some alternatives:
- "that's just the way it is"
- "that is indeed what it is" (notice how the simple addition of "indeed" makes the sentence meaningful by adding emphasis, rather than the utterly blank statement that I have been talking about)
- ""don't worry, here is the bright side of the current situation" (wow! Positive language! Oh, how I long for thee)
Perhaps the best way to illustrate how useless this sentence is by translating it.
Spanish: "Es que es." or "Que es lo que es."
Italian: "è ciò che è."
and my favorite, German: "Es ist was es ist."
1 comment:
Thanks for the Alternate options... At first I thought your cry for the removal of a phrase that has been in existence since the great depression was a bit much. Then, I saw the other options, then I knew... eso de dios...
amen amen
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