To YOLO or Not to YOLO

You only live once. What was thought to be a fact has become a worldwide phenomenon. It is an everyday trending topic on the social network Twitter appearing as “YOLO.” YOLO is a term coined by rap sensation Drake. It means You Only Live Once. The majority of people think the phrase puts life in perspective and shows life should not be taken for granted.

This popular acronym has been widely used this summer.

I asked ten people, “What does YOLO mean to you?” Their responses varied.


Some people say YOLO is a reminder that every day is a gift. Blake Stewart, 20, from Chicago, IL said, “YOLO means you don't take every day for granted because if you don't think that way and act dangerously, than you might not have a day to take for granted.” 


While some want to live in the moment, others feel YOLO should be more than that. Brielle Gregory, 17, from Cleveland, OH said, “Personally, it means kind of like 'carpe diem' and like seize the moment.” 


Even though Gregory lives by this philosophy, she sees that not everyone her age does. “I know a lot of my friends use 'YOLO' to act kind of slutty or to drink and do drugs even and they always say 'YOLO' after they do that,” said Gregory. 


Although YOLO made its worldwide debut in Drake’s influential song late October 2011, Christian Lopez of Chicago, IL and Carla Chavez of Phoenix, AZ have just recently been introduced to the catchy saying. Chavez, 28, said, “YOLO can mean just taking every opportunity and not letting any sort of experiences pass you by. It's one of those everyday things you may be forgetting because you have so many things on your plate.”


Lopez, 22, feels similarly about this acronym and wants to apply it to his life. “It’s a phrase to help you realize that there's more to a day than just your daily activities or your daily schedule. It seems interesting,” said Lopez. 


Living life with no regrets is another popular interpretation of YOLO. For Alex Walker, 17, of Chicago, IL, life is meant to be lived on the edge. Walker said, “YOLO to me means that you go hardcore every single day. It shows you that you can't be a little wimp every day.”


Walker describes a typical day “YOLO-ing.” He skateboards over 55-foot jumps with his friends. Walker said, “That's not YOLO saying ‘Oh, I want to be peaceful.’ No! It means living a hardcore lifestyle.”


But, not everyone can get away with doing the dangerous stuff. For Sean Sukys, 22, of Cleveland, OH, YOLO is not something he had the best experiences with. “Yolo to me probably means the worst thing ever. It's an excuse for people to just do whatever they want with no consequences.”


Sukys was a Residence Assistant at his college this past year. He had to deal with the harmful behaviors that come with YOLO. “People would literally destroy my hall, break stuff, break windows, break everything, and would run around screaming 'YOLO' as an excuse. And I've had people come into judicial board cases at my university saying that YOLO was an excuse. It's just encouraging bad behavior; it's stupid. It's a very catchy (Drake) song. It's a good thing to say if you don't really take it to heart.”


Aside from the consequences of YOLO, Asia Newsom, 17, of Miami, FL said, “I have to agree with the people that do the crazy stuff. You only live once and I feel you should just live it up and have fun!”


Later, she makes a different conclusion. She wants to be crazy, but safe at the same time. Newsom said people should, “not do crazy stuff, but do the crazy stuff like the crazy safe stuff.”


Whether people think it means to be thankful for every day or to go wild, many people think YOLO is just plain stupid. Catherine Strietmann, 16, of Cincinnati, OH said, “To me, YOLO is not a very good saying because it's a fact of life: you only live once. I know that. Why do you need to say that before you do anything?”


Whether one should or should not YOLO, it seems to be a phrase that everyone is talking about this summer.