"I Love Whatever Is Wrong With You"

A mini opinionated rant/essay of the new, popular phrase of Gen Z: "I love whatever is wrong with you." 

     In the same sense that the overuse and sentiment of the word ‘cringe’ or the enforcement of making regular, enjoyable things embarrassing destroys unique traits of individuals and younger generations, this new and upcoming phrase “I love whatever is wrong with you” has its own repercussions. Arising as a new Gen Z compliment, many people have turned to this phrase to show appreciation for people online and offline. While this phrase is said with well-intentions, the phrase has a double meaning. The first meaning is more obvious: a compliment that acknowledges and appreciates the uniqueness of someone. However, the second meaning is not as clear. This phrase establishes that there is something ‘wrong’ with the person that causes them to act or behave the way they do, when it’s not entirely true—should it be true, it’s not really anyone’s business. By saying there must be something wrong with them, it upholds a society’s values and interests in conformity. It’s says that in order to have the interests you do, to have the opinions you do, to enjoy the things you do, there must be something wrong with you. As if the default personality of a person, where there’s nothing “wrong” with them, is to conform to society’s new trends and confining status quo. It pushes and promotes the underlying idea that conformity is normal, that normality is correct, and that average is the default. 

     Additionally, this phrase feels like it positions the viewer (the person complimenting another) as part of a whole, and the person being complimented is an outsider. Their exceptionality means they belong outside the circle of people who are normal, and they are not a part of greater society. It feels like it paints the picture of these people as an "other", only to be watched and appreciated, not to be joined. For a society that praises individualism, it sure does love to enforce the status quo. 

     Many people are well-meaning when using this phrase, and many people don’t think that deeply into using this phrase. I understand that this is an in-depth analysis of a well-meaning comment, but if there’s one thing English class is teaching me, it’s that everything deserves to be analysed. Everything has a meaning, underlying for many, and what we say reveals our deeper sentiments as a society. Trending phrases are confessions to how our society perceives and reacts to our world.