Sreyas Week 1: Who Gets the Joke?
Over the summer my grandparents came over to visit us, but as soon as they came over, my sister went to Seattle for an internship. So for most of the summer, we didn’t really spend time as a full family. One weekend when my sister came back home, we decided to do a long-gone TikTok trend of asking our grandparents to say brainrot terms while we had water in our mouths, trying not to laugh.
Despite how ridiculously old and outdated the trend was, the amount of water spilled across the floor in the videos always seemed like a funny thing to try. However, we were supposed to stay clean, so my sister and I held bowls in front of us in the hopes that we wouldn’t spill anything (we still did). And while my grandparents were taking turns to say one word at a time, it became obvious how different the same language could sound depending on who was using it.
Now it wasn’t a matter of accent or the different emphasis on syllables, but rather the meaning behind each word. I remember discussing with my sister on doing the trend with our parents, but they started learning about brainrot terms on their own, so we wouldn’t get that mispronunciation that made it funny either. My parents also tried their best to mix their language between regular English and Gen-Z English.
My mom regularly used the words “lowkey” and “sigma” on a daily basis, and I told her to stop multiple times, but of course, she didn’t. But it didn’t hold the same meaning as before, even if she was technically using the word correctly. That spark wasn’t there.
That’s because of the shared culture and identity of Gen-Z. We learned these terms through viral videos and reels that were shared across multiple platforms or an increasing amount of people using it throughout school, not from some AI chatbot or some video that had supposedly cracked the code to brainrot meanings. Because the truth is brainrot terms never had real useful meanings. It was the interconnected nature of Gen-Z which made the true meanings of brainrot words that resulted in them being so widely used.
I had a good laugh while reading this, Sreyas. Thanks for sharing! Teaching Indian grandparents our generation’s brain-rot language seems like quite the task—a very hilarious one. I actually remember seeing this trend many times while it was circulating on TikTok. I think it’s the funniest thing ever; those videos would make me laugh so much until I was choking on my own laughter. I’d love to see the video with you and your grandparents, so please do share it when you get the chance! Anyways, I understand what you’re talking about when you say that parents can understand our language, but it’s harder for your grandparents to understand the meaning of different words. I think since our parents are around us so much and hear us using certain brain-rot words, they start picking up on their meanings to decipher the way we speak to them. After all, they won’t be able to comprehend what we’re saying if they can’t figure out what certain words mean. I think that divide shows a lot about different cultures and how spending time in different places for so long can really alter the way someone speaks. For example, since your grandparents aren’t from here, they’ve never heard of the kind of words we teenagers use, but your parents have spent most of their adult life here, so they’ve adapted to the culture of the United States. And since we’ve grown up here, we know the exact culture and grow up learning all this brain-rot language. This blog really made me think about that and the different divides in different generations, so thanks for sharing a fun story that sparks more thought about this topic.
ReplyDeleteHi Sreyas! This was a fun read! I can already imagine how filming the video went because I did this trend with my mom (who has an Indian accent as well). You can place ten bowls around you when doing a try-not-to-laugh challenge with water, but trust me, you always get water on the floor, unless you don’t laugh–but that would be a shame. I completely agree with you regarding the “spark” in using brainrot words when you understand them. I think it is because these very odd terms that do not follow English rules in the slightest, originate from different memes and timelines on social media. Some terms are popular, while some are so niche that anyone who comprehends them must be glued to their phone and the media. We use these words in funny situations because of the funny stories behind them, as depicted in reels or TikToks, which most adults do not watch. I, too, realized this when my mom kept verbally spamming “six seven”. You are so right, Gen-Z really is connected by brainrot, which really makes me wonder about the next generation. Anyways, thank you for sharing your thoughts on Gen-Z brainrot and connecting it to your personal experiences, it made your blog really relatable!
ReplyDeleteGood evening Sreyas! You do a very good job at explaining why Gen-Z and Gen Alpha cringe when older generations use the same slang that we do and you also told a funny story while doing so. Your description of the “brainrot water TikTok challenge” sounds outrageously messy despite you two holding bowls in front of you. Besides that, how much patience do you have to not be seething with rage when teaching your grandparents modern slang? Were you “ragebaited” a lot? Or maybe you were promised something in return… Well, I won’t know. Your clarification on the shared culture and identity of Gen-Z with how our slang is learned through viral videos and reels shared between people really encapsulates the internet as a whole. Something gets viral, people start referencing it, more people learn about it, and then it’s not niche anymore and the entire thing dies out or gets seen as “corny.” Overall, your blog is a wonderful analysis on why we find older generations using our slang as “cringe” and honestly made me chuckle a lot. Nice job!
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