February 2018
The YEET… Nobody knows what it means, and maybe that’s the point.
Graduate students have a unique propensity for psyching themselves out. As budding scientists, we are trained to compare treatments, analyze outcomes in a logical manner, and arrive at definitive conclusions. Unfortunately, that is also the same approach we often take when discouragement over our graduate careers inevitably sets in. While taking a much-needed break, we scroll through Facebook, only to be inundated with the smiling faces of our undergrad friends showing off the brilliant results of a budding career on the fast track to the top. A new house, hot girlfriend or boyfriend, and every other sign of adulting at a whole new level. While we drown our sorrows in a bowl of Ramen noodles (I’ve never eaten those horrendous things, but you get my drift) while working through that abstract you spent hours putting together but still drips with red ink even after the bazillionth version, it may be time to consider the YEET.
YEET is a perfectly good word that literally no one knows what it means. Made popular by some kid dancing for 30 seconds on the internet, YEET has been used to describe everything from a drained 3 pointer to that feeling you get while slipping on a new pair of crocs your mother gave you. Some like to yell it while soundly crushing their friends in a game of 42 or while continually driving their Mario Cart off rainbow road. More importantly, it’s been used to lift the spirits of more than one post-millennial student struggling with a lousy homework assignment, never ending lab work, buggy stats code, or monotonous research paper. But I dare you to use this word around pretty much anyone, and they’ll be sure to ask you what it means. Truth is, you won’t have an answer, because YEET doesn’t have a specific meaning, it just describes a light hearted, positive attitude towards life that reminds both the person saying it and the person who hears it to be happy, have fun with what you’re doing, and enjoy life. And because YEET doesn’t mean doing anything, you can YEET anytime, anywhere, doing anything. Yeeting is about getting your work done while remembering to enjoy it. It’s about reminding ourselves that our lives are enjoyable, with meaning and value, even if we are living a poor college kid lifestyle. It’s obvious that even though we may not have all the stuff, joy is something we can all have if we set our mind to it. So next time you’re working on another never ending project, and your friends Facebook lifestyle looks so cushy, remember to stick to your goals, enjoy what you’re doing, and most of all, give it that YEET!!!
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Ira Parsons
Ira is a ruminant nutrition masters student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Graduate students have a unique propensity for psyching themselves out. As budding scientists, we are trained to compare treatments, analyze outcomes in a logical manner, and arrive at definitive conclusions. Unfortunately, that is also the same approach we often take when discouragement over our graduate careers inevitably sets in. While taking a much-needed break, we scroll through Facebook, only to be inundated with the smiling faces of our undergrad friends showing off the brilliant results of a budding career on the fast track to the top. A new house, hot girlfriend or boyfriend, and every other sign of adulting at a whole new level. While we drown our sorrows in a bowl of Ramen noodles (I’ve never eaten those horrendous things, but you get my drift) while working through that abstract you spent hours putting together but still drips with red ink even after the bazillionth version, it may be time to consider the YEET.
YEET is a perfectly good word that literally no one knows what it means. Made popular by some kid dancing for 30 seconds on the internet, YEET has been used to describe everything from a drained 3 pointer to that feeling you get while slipping on a new pair of crocs your mother gave you. Some like to yell it while soundly crushing their friends in a game of 42 or while continually driving their Mario Cart off rainbow road. More importantly, it’s been used to lift the spirits of more than one post-millennial student struggling with a lousy homework assignment, never ending lab work, buggy stats code, or monotonous research paper. But I dare you to use this word around pretty much anyone, and they’ll be sure to ask you what it means. Truth is, you won’t have an answer, because YEET doesn’t have a specific meaning, it just describes a light hearted, positive attitude towards life that reminds both the person saying it and the person who hears it to be happy, have fun with what you’re doing, and enjoy life. And because YEET doesn’t mean doing anything, you can YEET anytime, anywhere, doing anything. Yeeting is about getting your work done while remembering to enjoy it. It’s about reminding ourselves that our lives are enjoyable, with meaning and value, even if we are living a poor college kid lifestyle. It’s obvious that even though we may not have all the stuff, joy is something we can all have if we set our mind to it. So next time you’re working on another never ending project, and your friends Facebook lifestyle looks so cushy, remember to stick to your goals, enjoy what you’re doing, and most of all, give it that YEET!!!
---
Ira Parsons
Ira is a ruminant nutrition masters student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences