2174. Bye, Felicia

At a party with some friends the guys and I wound up talking about the odd stuff our kids say. We came around to the phrase, “Bye, Felicia.” which appeared most recently during a one of the better sequences in Straight Outta Compton. The kids have been saying it over and again, mostly out of context with, well, everything. We shared a laugh and talked about the scene and what it means and how they came around to even knowing about the phrase (thanks, Internet!)

It took me until I was out the door and in the car to actually remember that the line came from Friday and not from Straight Outta Compton. That’s the joke right there. Bye, Felicia is a kiss off line meant to disregard someone coldly and casually–someone who doesn’t know they don’t matter.

Here’s where it gets weird: All these kids saying it are below the age of 12 and have never ever seen friday and most haven’t seen straight out of Compton beyond a handful of clips on the inter webs.

So now the term exists wholly on its own as a social meme that has disconnected from its original generation and reconnected with a generation who have no idea of the historical relevance.

That makes me wonder how many memes have already moved through time and been separated from meaning and intent only to be co-opted by those who have the power to dictate language and trend…

Some Thoughts:

1. For all the talk about the Warriors amazing season and record, people are overlooking the fact that the Spurs are very quietly three games behind them. Lets not forget the Spurs have been this good since the days of David Robinson. That comes down to some amazing coaching–clearly a situation I have yet to achieve, but I at least realize what that means, finally.
2. It means making your players better, helping them learn to work together, and building sportsmanship and skill in tandem. I’m on it.
3. Something I hate: When people smile to your face but actually dislike you behind your back. I’m thinking about that at this moment, which means I am still living with anger I most recently tried to rid myself of.