More and more I have conversations with people (not all young) who say things like this:
“The, you know, that thing, that those guys ... whatever ... anyway, the thing is ... you know? So, like, can you, maybe ... or whatever?”
If I tell them that this is utter gibberish, they treat me like I’m an idiot.
What's really irksome is when that person is in some position of authority over you and has the attitude that your inability to read minds — like the thing, you know, the thing!
(No, I don't know; 'thing' is too generic even from the context of the conversation…) — is [obviously] your fault when you try to clarify what the heck they're talking about [or trying to, anyway].
I've also noticed that the same people tend to get angry when you're overly general and they aren't getting it — this time though they're correct in that the fault in communication is yours.
Exactly
For sure , like You know...
Idiocracy!
I know a high school teacher who lectured one of his classes recently on the highly prevalent use of the word “wait” by teenagers.
“Most of you begin every sentence, that’s an answer to a question, with the word ‘wait’. Stop using the word ‘wait’,” he said to the class.
Immediately one of the girls in the class said:
“Wait. What? Wait.”
She wasn’t making an intentional joke.
The whole class laughed.