Everything in moderation, I say. I accept that random can be funny, but I almost hate the word now. Every social networking profile has a photo album originally entitled “randoms”. Sorry, typo from me there, I meant “randomz”. Now that that wrong has been wrighted (see what I did there?), I can go on and make my point.
Allow me to walk any reader through the scenario in question: the cringe inducing, shiver inspiring, hair-raising state of affairs that offends my very ears when I stumble upon it. One person, specimen A, sees object D in surroundings E. Object D is characteristically out of place in surroundings E. It may not seem it, but this is the ingenuity behind the humour that will inevitably ensue. Specimen A’s face lights up. He feverishly looks around to find a fellow conspirator. Specimen B is nowhere to be found, but he latches onto Specimen C. He reaches out for Specimen C, grasping his shoulder, delight blooming on his features. He takes a deep breath, languishing in the pleasure of his realisation of the misplacement of Object D in Surroundings E. Struggling for breath, fighting off a huge influx of serotonin flooding his brain, he starts to point. The next words leave scope for heightening the geekism. The following phrase, often too horrible to even utter, is uttered: “Zomg”, he says. Or, in an equivalent manoeuvre marginally less horrific, “Oh my god,” he says. Gasping in his next breath of air, he continues ,“that is so…”. Take note, at this point, that the ellipses are not there to make space to allow me to make my next point. It is representative of the length of the phrase “so” in the previous sentence. As Specimen A’s voice reaches a crescendo, he says it. He crosses the threshold and savours every syllable. “Random”. The horror. The word is said with completely indescribable pleasure, unsurpassed by any orgasm or drug.
In saying, “That is soooooooo random!”, specimen A descends into laughter that may be matched by specimen C. However, if specimen C has any presence of mind, he is fully within his rights to walk on, disgust or even indifference evident on his face. “Oh my god, that is so random”, pointing at a pickle on a sand dune or something, should not be someone’s sole basis for humour.