stop saying dude, dude Has anyone else noticed how much people are saying "dude" these days? I'm not talking about on dude ranches, although I've never actually been to one, nor can I say with complete certainty that they even exist outside of Billy Crystal movies. But if they do, I will give them a free pass and allow them to say "dude" as much as they want to. "Go rustle up some cows, dude."

Nor am I talking about the 1990's term for any member of the male persuasion. "Hey, dude. Check out my new Sony Discman. You can play Milli Vanilli CDs on it! I love those dudes..."

The "dude" I'm referring to is the expression of disbelief. How did this word make it back into mainstream lingo? Dude, that is insane!

I think it must have all begun with Dude, Where's My Car? the highly influential theatrical debut (I think) of one Ashton Kutcher. You know, the scene with the tattoos. "What's mine say?" "Dude! What's mine say?" "Sweet! What's mine say?" "Dude!!!" etc., etc., etc., and everyone has a good laugh. The latest dude guy I've noticed is the, shall we say, large, guy with the funny hair on the show Lost. Every other word out of that guy's mouth is "dude"!

I think if everyone is going to start using the same word every time something interesting, unexpected, or weird happens, let's use a word that hasn't already gone through the "fad-word" phase, possibly something Ashton Kutcher wouldn't say. Like "pancakes." You almost get hit by a car? "Pancakes, man, that was close!" You see a really large bird? "Pancakes! That's a huge bird!" Or how about if you're really hungry? "Let's get some pancakes, dude!" Yeah, I guess we can still use "dude" in the proper context.
  ¶ monger187 wrote this on 10/14/2004