Beyond the Palette

This week, I heard a side of Mrs. Valentino I could never imagine my auditory apparatus listening to. For the first time in my life, one of my teachers were willingly talking about gen-z slang, specifically very sus ones. Still, I will have to admit, it was a top 3 english class days of all time. Hearing a teacher even speak about something like "netflix and chill" or "do you wanna see my etchings" was almost refreshing – it reminded me that even teachers have lives outside of school. However, what was not refreshing was when my table decided to stab me in the back and yell out what I had purposefully whispered to them. I had quietly told them, "Yo guys, what about this one: I can't wait until you turn 18?" They apparently thought it would be hilarious to yell out "WHAT DID YOU SAY JAYDEN?" Obviously, in that moment, I was seriously flustered – even burying my head into my arms out of embarassment. They then proceeded to tell the entire class...

"Yo Jello whats up!" "Whaddup diamond maker!"  "Howdy butter boy!" "Ahoy amonia boy! "What's hangin' corny boy!" "What's shakin' pain boy!" "Sup vanity boy!" "Hi 6 paik!" "Salutations booger boy!" "hello 재희야" holy moly. I don't think I can physically handle any more. There are more nicknames out there than I can count, or even remember for that matter. The ones I listed above are only surface level – things I have been called frequently. A prime nickname-maker is Daniel Cho. This man has been curating nicknames for me ever since the good-ol' days of elementary school. Regardless, this Jayden-Paik-name-making-contest has been going for far too long. Once a nickname starts to die down, it almost becomes a competition to see who can make the next most revolting, insulting, horrid, nickname possible. The picture I provided next to this text accurately describes how I feel ...