Saturday, May 9, 2015

LOL Right

“LOL right.”

Two or three times a week, someone on my Facebook thread posts this admonition. Sometimes it’s in a comment, a reply to someone else’s post. Sometimes it is a post in and of itself, always hovering above some humorous image or saying or statement.

I’ll be honest: I’m not quite sure how to interpret this “LOL right” statement. I mean, it’s mildly vague and not just a little direct. In fact, it’s so curt that it comes across as irritated. Whatever the tone, it’s clearly a command. Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure how to follow the instruction.

So far, I’ve come up with two interpretations:
  1. Someone believes we are “LOL’ing” incorrectly, and we must do better. Assuming this is the correct interpretation, it’s lovely to know that my Friends are concerned enough to want to educate the Facebook citizenry and help us communicate more properly. However, I (personally) need clarification. Should we type “LOL” in all capital letters? Is that the problem? Is “Lol” with its mixed upper and lower case letters the issue at hand? Or perhaps are my Friends stating that “LOL” must only be typed in all capital letters at the beginning of a sentence but “lol” at any other point? Are we using “LOL” too often, to generously, and must only use it when we are honestly amused enough to have guffawed, or at least giggled, aloud (and if this is the case, how can they tell that we haven’t)? Tell me! Please explain!
  2. It’s a new fad based on either the Cha Cha Slide or Tootsie Roll. Maybe after one person posts “LOL Right” someone else is supposed to reply “LOL Left,” after which another person should post “LOL Front,” and so on. I have no idea what’s next, if this is the case. I’m old and not up to speed on the fads these crazy kids come up with these days. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the popularity of Tinder. Oh, wait, Tinder… maybe “LOL Right” is actually some sort of secret swipe right reference?
Maybe it's a problem with the font? The color?
Of course, there’s always the possibility – crazy as it sounds – that these Friends are trying to communicate something else that punctuation might (just might) help them convey. I know what you’re thinking: you’re thinking, “Megan, that’s crazy talk. Go LOL right.” And if that’s the case, clearly, I’m trying to learn how. But hear me out. What if…
  1. … they meant “LOL, right?” As in, what if they were intending to communicate something along the lines of, “I find this humorous. Do you not agree?”
  2. … they meant “LOL. Right.” As in, what if they were intending to state something like, “I understand that you might find this funny, but I feel compelled only to sarcastically agree, which in essence means that I do not agree.” Or perhaps, “I find this amusing. Not only that, but I agree with the tenor of the statement itself.”
Help a girl out. What is the answer???
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