The bastardization, or evolution, of language in pop culture is always fascinating. It reflects one great and terrible thing about this country: Its ability to absorb radical ideas and incorporate them into everyday life in a safe, and sometimes productive, way. Throughout history and in much of the world today, a new idea that conflicts with the established social order might get your brains whacked in. Upon pain of death, the Catholic church forced Galileo to recant his nonsensical idea that the earth wasn't the center of the universe, and even then was confined to house arrest for life. In Iran today, you'll get an Uzi up your butt if you diss Islam. Even if your writing sucks (Note to Salman Rushdie - all your books come with a recycling number on them now). Not here. In the US, we are much more clever. We take a radical idea, sanitize it, run it through the Cultural Mushing Machine, and poop it out as bland gruel. Just the other day I heard a Nirvana tune in an elevator. (What does Kenny G. say when he gets in an elevator? "Man, this place rocks").
 

By Muzak-ing new things, we avoid chaos like a nation of Timothy McVeighs, but lose the original intent of great minds and ideas. Reduced to it's lowest terms (what else did you expect?- jeez), this notion is amusing to me when examining how drug slang has now become acceptable grammar. Note the photo of my graduation, and you might expect I heard a rumor about drug use on campus. This was the tail end of the hippie era, and throughout those years there were many words and phrases that were used exclusively to refer to illegal drugs and their use. You wouldn't say these things in polite society, certainly not around the police or your parents. Today, these same words are used by Dear Abby, George Will, and mom and dad, and no one even blinks. Some examples follow, mostly drug references but some others thrown in too:

Word and what it meant then:

Bummer: A bad drug experience.

Downer: Illegal barbiturate.

Rush: Initial high, usually from speed.

Score: Purchase of drugs
 

Hyper: Overactive because of speed

Fix: Injecting heroin
 

Hooked: Addicted to drugs
 

Bad Trip: Extremely bad LSD experience.

Junkie: Heroin addict.
 
 
 
 
 

Crash: Physical/mental collapse from too much drugs.
 

Spaced Out: Lack of rational thought because of drugs.

Dork: Penis.

Freak Out: Out of control from OD.

Turned On: Discovering a drug.
 

Word and what it means now:

Bummer: Any bad mood or sad thing.

Downer: Any bad mood or sad thing.

Rush: Any excited feeling.

Score: Obtaining anything.
 

Hyper: High-energy.

Fix: Satisfying any habit ("got my Dilbert fix today")

Hooked: Time-consuming habit or hobby (kids are 'hooked on phonics' ferchrissakes)

Bad Trip: Any bad thing that happens.

Junkie: Any habit. (Coffee junkies, computer junkies, work junkies, ad nauseam)
 

Crash: Anything from taking a nap to a good night's sleep.
 

Spaced Out: Anything from being stupid to fatigue or inattention.
 

Dork: Any kind of fool.

Freak Out: Upset.

Turned On: Develop an interest in.

The Great Mushing Machine works in a million insidious, invisible ways. Those nasty, oversized, sagging, baggy, gangsta shorts once worn only by Crips and Bloods are now in JC Penney catalogues. Every fifth guy has a ponytail, rat tail hair twist, earring, or other bodily mutilation that would have screamed "HOMO" a few years ago. Pat Boone just did a heavy metal album, and I'm not joking. There are Christian rap groups. (Remember, the "C" in "rap" is silent). And on and on. Give me your favorite examples!
 

Next rant: Late nite cable TV. Get out the puke bucket.....