What is a “thing”?

12 comments

1. It’s only the greatest Sci-Fi horror of all time.

2. In the case of “is this a thing” behaviour wise, it’s usually is this something that people do or is it just me. So like “is it a thing for people to feel depressed”

3. “A thing” is something that is fairly common place and that many people are familiar with. Having black pudding with your full English is a thing, even if not everyone does it. Having macaroni cheese with your fry up isn’t a thing, even if a minority of weirdos do it.

4. The use of ‘this is a thing’ has change factored into it. It literally means *this is something that happens/ is common in our culture/ society.*so there is no expectation that things stay the same for ever.

5. A behavior/belief.

6. “Thing” is one of those words that have had lots of extensions.

   Think of the “F-word” – it’s a noun, adjective, verb, imperative and on and on.

   Consulting the urban dictionary it has this 2016 definition of a [“a thing”](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=a%20thing) as a synonym for high schooler relationships. As these Gen-Zer become adults – I think it’s just their preferred term for a relationship (ship).

   It will be interesting to see when this sense is in a lauded work of literature.

7. The thing is this is the thing.

8. When girls laugh too hard they pee… wait, is that a thing?

9. It’s been around since the 90s. They used it multiple times in Friends even.

10. Substitute ‘part of the cultural Zeitgeist’ and you’ll get it. And you’ll also see why people use “thing” rather than “part of the cultural Zeitgeist’.

11. ‘This is a thing that people do?’

12. A “thing” is a Presence with an Essence. Or at least that’s my ontological argument.