Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Is it ever NOT what it is?

The phrase "It is what it is" bugs me. It falls into the category that includes phrases/clauses like "Going forward..." (as if you could go backward) or "To be honest" (an admission that what you're about to say is a departure from the norm).

I just heard a new one in the concierge lounge at a Marriott: "It'll be what it'll be". I think it was related to sports.

So, here are some suggested enhancements to the dialect:

* It won't be what it won't be
* It will never be what it never could become
* What wasn't, wasn't
* To be or to be, that is the [rhetorical] question
* It probably wasn't meant to be because it wasn't meant to be

I'm sure there are more clever opportunities here.

3 comments:

Kris said...

It especially bugs me when someone on a project says it. It usually means "This sucks, and it's going to continue to suck." It often denotes apathy, and that behavior will only slow the progress of making things better.

Adrian said...

Indeed, I agree. Thanks for the contribution Kris. The ease with which the phrase falls off one's tongue should be a warning sign.

Steve Moyer said...

Ours is not to question why, ours is just to do and die.