Ryan Lochte Should "Just Say No" to 'Jeah'

Where there is a grill and a pending ‘Jeah’ trademark, there will be headlines, especially when a newly crowned Olympian brings the buzz. So here goes Ryan Lochte, fresh from the London medal bounty to a pop culture low. Glimmeringly clear, the diamond-encrusted mouthware and bound for nowhere expression ‘Jeah’ have his feet fast track-planted for Ghetto Fab Gold.  

During the Olympic hoopla, I caught an up close and personal glimpse of the mildly cocky American swimmer who easily qualifies as a ‘to die for’ female catch. Yet, his mannerisms hinted the possibility of a hipster wannabe lurking beneath the buffed bod. The suburbanite's imitation of urban swag is all too common so Lochte’s sneakers and grills fandom, well, uh, no biggie. Grills, really? That’s so 2006. Ask Nelly who popularized the rap tune 'Grillz' if you don’t know.                  

However, it was Lochte’s idea to trademark the catchphrase that put many on pause. One Twitter user went Reaganesque, likely leading the ‘Just Say No’ to ‘Jeah’ chorus of Lochte’s English teachers. Even 90s rapper MC Eiht surfaced to claim first dibs on the term’s coinage.

Should we care about the swimmer’s grammatical lane violation or let it ride as part of his fun-loving nature? Although Lochte isn’t the first and won’t be the last, adding to the litany of communication crippling trash to which today's youth are overexposed doesn’t exactly yield role model credibility. Instead, if Lochte says ‘jeah’ to anything, let it be to a branding consultant. ‘JEAH’!       

Writing Olympics:Gen Text Returns Bling-less

As the Olympics 2012 curtain closes, the culmination of silver, bronze or gold for the blood, sweat and tears poured into athletic preparation was truly a sight to savor by spectators worldwide. Glued to the tube so not to miss Michael Phelps’ epic medal splash or Jamaica’s Usain ‘Lightening’ Bolt’s record runs, thoughts of a Writing  Olympics flashed during commercial breaks. Seriously, had an event of this nature been held today, Generation Text would’ve returned to US soil bling-less.

Truth be told, scholastic accounts about communication skill erosion in this day and age are infamous. You may recall a WSJ report detailing the inability of MBA students to craft effective emails: “Employers and writing coaches say business-school graduates tend to ramble, use pretentious vocabulary or pen too-casual emails.” Did undergraduate study fail to prepare them adequately or was preparation written off in favor of fractured textsations (conversations via text)?  

According to Sharon Washington, executive director of the National Writing Project in Berkeley, Calif., “U.S. high schools and undergraduate programs have de-emphasized writing instruction.” Washington finds comfort in the fact that texting is writing but that’s a product of thought I prefer to leave on the shelf.  

While it’s one thing to peruse these articles, being the recipient of overly casual communication in a business setting offers proof positive. Imagine the horror on my face when I received this iPhone-transmitted email from a vendor I contacted to resolve an issue: ‘Uh, s-faced @ HH.TTL.’ Happy hour? Seemingly, the beverage of preference had drained all professional accountability. It would’ve been more palatable had she said “If not urgent, may I get back with you tomorrow?” OMG, TMI, and I believe that’s what Generation Text calls DT – drunk texting.  

Following a round of interviews, one candidate closed his follow-up email with “TU for taking time to discuss the position with me.” Yes, I’m well aware of what TU means and unlike Generation Text, my main information resource isn’t Wikipedia. Still, in a professional environment, the casual tone doesn’t exactly convey gold-medal best.                 

Unmistakably, what Phelps and Bolt accomplished in London required tunnel-vision commitment. By the same token, communication is a skill to be mastered since it starts the success engine. Matching the message with the audience and recognizing when casual and professional language usage is appropriate is a must. Technology might’ve initiated Generation Text’s rocky start but it’s never too late for a strong finish.