ballarde

"Cliche" should be a symbol - like the Hammer & Sickle - of the populace

So, recently I’ve been thinking a bit about the usefulness/practicality of Cliches (such as the quintessential ice-breaker employed at the beginning of this sentence, “so”).  My typically cynical response to the ultraoverused words/phrases has been softened by a book, “Prozac Nation.”  This book is not only full of pop-culture cliches, but is, in fact a Cliche (proper Noun) in & of itself.  In spite of this (or maybe because of it), I have found its message to be disconcertingly helpful and therapeutic.

The author’s “everyone has problems, but mine are a bit more complicated” approach is simultaneously annoying and…correct.  Cliches are functional because they are Accurate, not because they’re well-crafted.  Cliches are language-made-populist.  Kind of like a less-bullshit Warhol. They are Pop-Art for Grammar.