A viral Twitter thread is demonstrating how a younger worker in a corporate environment is helping out their boss and older male coworkers, referred to with terms such as “WorkDad,” by guiding them through the constantly evolving phenomenon known as youth slang. Especially since the internet became widely available, language has evolved rapidly in the recent years, resulting in slang terms (which are actually often AAVE terms taken from Black communities) that can come and go with the season. Some older person can have trouble keeping up with it all.
In exchange, the older workers help the Twitter user translate the things they can’t say straight to others in the office, helping them drape their irritation in technically polite corporate speak. The user, with the self-imposed titled of “The Meanest TA,” provided a number of hilarious examples.
“Can I say this meeting got lit if I mean people were getting upset?” their 74-year-old boss asked.
“No but you can say they were salty about it,” they explained.
Another time, she taught her boss the proper usage of the term “tea,” as in the phrase “spill the tea,” so that he could use it correctly with the CEO when referring to a company project. The Twitter user ended up getting a message from the CEO about it, and it remains unclear whether they were pleased or upset.
CC all of us on that, please.
Meanwhile, things might be a bit more polite around the office, at least on the surface, with Meanest learning how to express their frustration without outright cussing at and/or threatening people.
“How do I say I have a goddamn PhD do not patronize me?” they asked their project manager.
For those taking notes, the answer is: “I appreciate the clarification, however I do have the subject matter expertise to manage this on my own.”
Even better is the secret to expressing that the undisputed ruler of all office time-wasters, meetings, are indeed a waste of everyone’s time and should be confined to emails or at least to upper-level management, where their whole job is to waste time.
“How do I say this meeting is a waste of my time I am not paid enough to deal with your bullshit?” asked Meanest.
“Can you provide me with a meeting agenda so I can ensure my presence adds value?” their boss translated. “I want to prioritize my schedule to support our most urgent needs.”
The thread has been a hit on Twitter, where every tweet got tens of thousands of likes and at least hundreds of retweets. Meanwhile, others are sharing their own helpful translations of corporate speak and/or stories on teaching older coworkers and bosses the young people speak.