I'll admit, I never heard of "mama grizzlies" until now.

I could man up and tell you that Lake Superior State University has no right to ban words. But why refudiate a school's ability to do anything? Sure, Lake Superior State University lacks any wow factor that makes it appealing on a national stage. It's a small school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. So small that it makes Fitchburg State University look epic in size. But Lake State's back story is that it makes a name for itself by creating a yearly list of words and phrases it wants to ban from the American vernacular. The American people are a stubborn creature, which explains the need for Lake State to take these measures.

I'm just sayin' that Americans beat words and phrases into the ground until they have a collective "a-ha!" moment that lets them know there's only one way to describe the way we talk: fail.

We can blame social media for this. If you facebook various profiles on any social networking site, you'll notice ubiquitous catchphrases, to the extent that it seems language goes viral sometimes. And it's not just between BFFs either. Strangers thousands of miles apart speak the same way, too. You can google random words and phrases and find Justin Bieber's fan clubs using the same keywords as a mama grizzlies' website.

You won't find me talking this way though. I choose to live life to the fullest--and that means never following a crowd.



Psssst: In case you're not a sharp one, all the bold words are this year's banned words and phrases. Because I'm cute like that.