CMC doesn’t wear it: a story about slang.

Recently, I came upon sunglasses sold by the student government of my alma mater (Claremont McKenna College) that read, “CMC. Wearing it since 1946.” While I can imagine their excitement when they came up with a way to infuse a popular slang used around campus with a pun that can be printed on a popular item, I wonder if they realize the message it sends.

To “wear it” means to do something humiliating. It can be used in any context where the outcome of an event is negative, but more appropriately used when the victim of the incident is at fault. Examples of how one can “wear it”:

  • Falling into a pond unexpectedly.
  • Spilling a beer on one’s self.
  • Hooking up with a tranny without realizing it.

So my question to them is this, what is the message you want to send? “CMC Wearing it since 1946” suggests that we have been humiliating ourselves for 64 years. I hope that’s not the message they’re trying to send.

The phrase “wear it” and it’s definition as described above can be dated back to 2004. I know there are at least a handful of kids who still go to the school using the slang this way. At what point did the meaning or connotation change?

Why and how does slang change?

In my opinion, CMC has been “figuring it out” since 1946.


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