Emily Wax
Six months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Emily Wax documented a special strain of slang based on language emanating from the disaster. This "terror humor" is a contemporary example of the way youth cultures can absorb current events and quickly create their own responses to them. Whether such uninhibited joking ends up easing tension during a crisis or whether it serves to aggravate explosive emotions, teenagers tend to lead the way when it comes to innovative lingo. Emily Wax is a Washington Post staff writer who often reports on education.
THEIR BEDROOMS ARE "GROUND ZERO." TRANSlation"
A total mess.
A mean teacher? He's "such a terrorist."
A student is disciplined? "It was total jihad."
Petty concerns? "That's so Sept. 10."
And out—of—style clothes? "Is that a burqa""
It's just six months since Sept. 11, but that's enough time for the vocabulary of one of the.....
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