Defining "6-7" and "Situationships"

6-7 - (n.?) ineffable slang term coined by an undefined middle schooler meant to prank adults.

situationship - something like "friends with benefits" between two consenting teens or adults.

Quite recently, I gave in to The New York Times ubiquitous ads and purchased an online subscription as I have decided I do want to know what is going on in the world on a daily basis. And my like affair with Time magazine ran dry, mainly because it features way too many articles on AI and climate change. What can I say? I crave variety, and the Times provides it. 

A week or so ago (I think), "6-7" and "situationship," obscure terms indicative of the present day youth quake popped up in The New York Times. I have to admit that I am not impressed with 6-7, kids. The only thing it reminds me of is 1967, a very good year for music but little else, and my age: 67, something I would rather not contemplate. My great nieces used a light board that I gave one of them as a birthday gift to create a colorful, eon "6-7" and then sent me the photo of it, which I will use to advertise my age if the spirit moves me throughout 2026. Of course, they have no idea that 67 actually means more than "6-7." Why the originator of the term chose 6-7 as opposed to 1-2 or 2-3, or even 7-8 is unfathomable. Clearly, it is nonsensical, an attempt to confound, confuse, and therefore, manipulate adults. In short, 6-7 is a power play, an oddity that most likely won't be added to the Oxford Language Dictionary.  But given the absurdity of the age, it probably will be if it hasn't been already. So parents, what you need to do is ignore your kids when they answer any question you ask them with "6-7." Just put real words into their mouths. Example: "How was your day, Junior?" "6-7." "Oh, not so great, ah?" etc. You get the gist. Eventually someone will back down.

On the other hand, "situationship" isn't new. It appears to be just a synonym for "friends with benefits," which dates back a couple of decades and is probably on the well-worn side. Clearly, the person who coined the new term was looking for something slightly more sophisticated or perhaps more specific as "benefits" could refer to any number of pluses, such as health benefits, home insurance, a tax break, not just casual sex. A situationship that may or may not have a limited self life is something more than a platonic friendship because there is sex, but it is not quite a committed relationship. There is a communication gap about future plans that usually creates conflict as one party may see the coupling as more than what it is: a gray area like purgatory. It is no doubt for young people (or old geezers like myself) who are simply scared to death of anything resembling a marriage. I am on the fence about walking away from a situationship myself because the guy shares a house with his ex-wife albeit there is no physical intimacy between them. She and I can't co-exist sans complications. For him, it's pseudo-polygamy, the best of two worlds, like having the cake and eating it, too. Inequitable. I think Boomers need to borrow the term to refer to a short-term love affair that can't move forward due to a past entanglement that won't unentangle. I'll ask the Times to add it to the definition. Maybe the revised definition will go viral.

In closing, I have to thank the younger generations for their linguistic inventiveness. For the most part, their neologisms are on the creative side and harmless. May they continue to reinvent the language. As long as I have The New York Times for clarification, the innovations won't plague me. 

#blog, #social commentary, #6-7, #situationship, #personal essay 

Thank, Love, Hope: Action Verbs

 

verb - noun - a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence. (Oxford Language)

It has been six years since I retired from teaching secondary English, and it's been longer than that since I was able to get away with teaching English grammar directly in a classroom because, well, um, frankly, it is no longer permitted–at least not in New Jersey. If you are a sensible, educated individual, you would see the irony in this immediately. All languages employ grammar as it is foundational. Which brings me to the part of speech known as the verb. As stated in the definition above, a verb at its absolute best describes an action. It is on this attribute (three examples) that I will concentrate.

Thank is a verb; besides being verbs, love and hope can also be nouns, concepts that can roll off the tongue quite easily and frequently do sans staying power. Often they don't mean a heck of a lot unless they make the transition into verbs. Actions, after all, do speak louder than words. Take verb number 1: thank. Thanking can be done quite physically if you extend a hand to do so. Since the paranoia over skin-to-skin contact during the pandemic dissipated a few years ago, every once in a while, you most likely encounter a person not traumatized enough from the past to offer a solid handshake as a sincere gesture of thanks. Thanksgiving, a day set aside each November (we just experienced it), motivates you and me to give thanks mainly by eating. (As proof of this phenomenon, my sister spent hers devouring turkey, a candied yam casserole, dinner roles, and pumpkin pie all by herself in Cracker Barrel.) If the spirit moves you, you can also downshift into the past and write an actual thank-you note to be delivered by a mail carrier via the U.S. post office or the like. Not many of you do this sort of thing anymore, though. Still, thanking as an action comes fairly naturally.

On the other hand, love and hope can be a bit tricky. Most of you are thinking that these two are abstract as opposed to concrete concepts. Can you touch love or hope? Are they solid entities? No, but they can be put into action that is quantifiable. If you are a Christian, you know that this is the season of Advent; you wait for the birth of the Savior. If you are Jewish, you celebrate Hanukkah, which involves light. Love and hope are attached to both practices, but many of you choose to confine love and hope to words and actions within your own four walls. 

Which is admirable, but this holiday season, I think you can do better than that. I think you can put love and hope into action outside of the confines of your family. I know I've been on your case before re: volunteering, but if you are interested, that's how you can truly show love and hope, demonstrating them as action verbs. Love in action begets hope. When you reach out to those less fortunate (an act of love) and you can see the difference you've made, you walk away feeling hopeful, like things are going to get better since you've made a genuine effort on behalf of complete strangers. 

As an example, today I volunteered to adopt a disadvantaged family. I am guessing that I'll have to spend a little bit of my savings investing in their Christmas. Since everyone I know, including Christ, has a birthday in December, I probably spend the most money on gifts this month. No matter. I'm going all out to go all in. Every cent spent on providing these people whom I don't even know vaguely with basic needs and wants (an act of love) will translate into hope, the hope that someday the family at a more prosperous time in their lives will be able to pay the deed forward, reminiscent of "Schindler's List." Acts of love are contagious and lead into hope, hope of a better tomorrow. If you and I and everyone else who are fortunate did this sort of thing, the world would be a much better place. 

Mere words when put into action provoke positive change. Instead of complaining about the status quo, do something about it. Act on love and hope. Everything is possible. (Report back to me by New Year's if you take my advice.)

#love #hope #holidays #blog #personal essay