As a 17-year-old I can confirm that my friends and I regularly “rawdog” car journeys without headphones, the school day without a pencil case, or tests without revision (How did ‘rawdogging’ become part of polite conversation?, 21 August). In this unprecedented world of social media, slang is spreading like wildfire – but is it any wonder when now, more than ever, we need phrases to laugh about?
It was “giving disrespect” when Rishi Sunak campaigned for us to do a year of national service. It was “lowkey terrifying” when far-right riots spread across England. “Rawdogging” and other expressions may be a result of “semantic bleaching” – but they’re also about processing what’s happening around us in a way that instantly brings us together.
That’s why Kamala Harris’s campaign picking up on the term “brat summer” was a clever move. Brat summer is an attitude that’s hard to describe, yet instantly understandable to those in the know. It was brat summer when my friend and I went to our local restaurant just for cheesy chips – and now it’s brat summer when Kamala fights for abortion rights.
Referencing things like brat summer among friends establishes a very specific mutual understanding that has developed over months of conversation, both online and face-to-face. It’s something young people have been doing long before social media even existed: indulging in our shared experience.
Our slang as gen Z may seem a little ridiculous, but I believe it brings us together in a time of so much division. If the government is worried about the number of students failing their GCSE English exams, I think reforming the curriculum to both reflect and welcome the language we’re speaking today would be a great place to start. After all, the study of English should embrace the beauty of articulating ourselves – in whatever form that may be.
Mia Pitts
Marlborough, Wiltshire