It is, but it isn’t
“It is what it is.”
We’ve all heard that statement dozens of times, and it’s a phrase that is rapidly ascending to the top spot of most overused, tired cliches – especially in sports vernacular.
It’s the catch phrase answer for an athlete or coach who has no answer, doesn’t want to answer honestly or cannot properly articulate his thoughts.
What is most perplexing is that I’m not entirely sure what it means and when and where it is appropriate to use. I’m pretty sure those who rattle off another “is what it is” don’t know, either.
I was thinking of some fictitious scenarios representative of a typical sports interview:
Reporter: “Hey Johnny, you threw three interceptions in the big game today...”
Johnny: “It is what it is.”
Reporter: “Coach, you’ve won six games in a row, care to comment on that streak?”
Coach: “It is what it is.”
Reporter: “Hey coach, your star player, Jackie Blue, missed practice today. Can you elaborate on that?
Coach: “Well...it is what it is.”
“It is what it is” is the perfect statement because it is devoid of subtext, pretext or context, and it’s the black hole of syntax. It sounds like something, but isn’t anything at all. It’s the perfect answer for someone who has to say something without saying anything at all.
Sports journalists are reluctant to follow up the enigmatic five-word answer because they’re not quite sure what the guy actually meant.
I think I would prefer an uninspired “whatever.”
We allow those in the entertainment business - be it music, sports or whatnot - get away with the non-answer, but how would you feel if our leaders (who already deflect and dance around the direct answer) started using “it is what it is.”
Reporter: President Obama, your thoughts on the Ebola oubreak.”
President Obama: “Well Patrick (hey, he knows my name)...it is what it is.”
Can you imagine how the Washington D.C. press would react to the ultimate non-answer?
Stupefaction.
I wonder who it was to first to coin “it is what it is.” The person who originated it didn’t want to give an answer, so I’m not expecting an answer here. And I don’t plan on searching for the answer.
Why look for an answer when the person responsible for the cliche never gave one in the first place?
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickLNewell
We’ve all heard that statement dozens of times, and it’s a phrase that is rapidly ascending to the top spot of most overused, tired cliches – especially in sports vernacular.
It’s the catch phrase answer for an athlete or coach who has no answer, doesn’t want to answer honestly or cannot properly articulate his thoughts.
What is most perplexing is that I’m not entirely sure what it means and when and where it is appropriate to use. I’m pretty sure those who rattle off another “is what it is” don’t know, either.
I was thinking of some fictitious scenarios representative of a typical sports interview:
Reporter: “Hey Johnny, you threw three interceptions in the big game today...”
Johnny: “It is what it is.”
Reporter: “Coach, you’ve won six games in a row, care to comment on that streak?”
Coach: “It is what it is.”
Reporter: “Hey coach, your star player, Jackie Blue, missed practice today. Can you elaborate on that?
Coach: “Well...it is what it is.”
“It is what it is” is the perfect statement because it is devoid of subtext, pretext or context, and it’s the black hole of syntax. It sounds like something, but isn’t anything at all. It’s the perfect answer for someone who has to say something without saying anything at all.
Sports journalists are reluctant to follow up the enigmatic five-word answer because they’re not quite sure what the guy actually meant.
I think I would prefer an uninspired “whatever.”
We allow those in the entertainment business - be it music, sports or whatnot - get away with the non-answer, but how would you feel if our leaders (who already deflect and dance around the direct answer) started using “it is what it is.”
Reporter: President Obama, your thoughts on the Ebola oubreak.”
President Obama: “Well Patrick (hey, he knows my name)...it is what it is.”
Can you imagine how the Washington D.C. press would react to the ultimate non-answer?
Stupefaction.
I wonder who it was to first to coin “it is what it is.” The person who originated it didn’t want to give an answer, so I’m not expecting an answer here. And I don’t plan on searching for the answer.
Why look for an answer when the person responsible for the cliche never gave one in the first place?
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickLNewell
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