Slam+Poetry

media type="youtube" key="pKyIw9fs8T4" height="315" width="420" Totally like whatever, you know?  In case you hadn't noticed,

 it has somehow become uncool

 to sound like you know what you're talking about?

 Or believe strongly in what you're saying?

 Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s

 have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?

 Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?  Declarative sentences - so-called

 because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true

 as opposed to other things which were, like, not -

 have been infected by a totally hip

 and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?

 Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;

 this is just like the word on the street, you know?

 It's like what I've heard?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty? <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> What has happened to our conviction?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Have they been, like, chopped down

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> with the rest of the rain forest?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Or do we have, like, nothing to say?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Has society become so, like, totally. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I mean absolutely. . . You know?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> whatever! <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> And so actually our disarticulation. . . ness

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> is just a clever sort of. . . thing

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> to disguise the fact that we've become

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> the most aggressively inarticulate generation

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> to come along since. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> you know, a long, long time ago! <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I challenge you: To speak with conviction.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> the determination with which you believe it.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> You have to speak with it, too.