It is almost five o’clock, it’s Wednesday, and I am feeling good. Finally, I made it halfway through the week. I had a somewhat productive day at work, and I am looking forward getting home. I am finally on the train and just want to come down when an approximately fifteen-year-old teenager not far away from me starts calling his friend “digger” while yelling in his phone that there is no tomorrow. I was just about to tell him that it is a cell phone and not a megaphone when his conversation continued. It went like this:
Strange Person (SP): “What’s up, digger!???? Yoooooo, duuuuuude, what’s up. HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOU IN A LOOOOONG TIME, MAN!”
Me (thinking while breathing in deeply): What the hell is a “digger”?! I would never call another person “digger”. But as you can tell by now, I am a little different than most people.
SP: Bro, I totally nailed that school project…..Sorry, T-Bone and I were just talking about jobs and careers after we are done with this shit school. He wants to be a lawyer. Did I mention I want to be a judge? Yeah, I can totally like put people to jail, dude. Like Judge Barbara Salesch. Do you even know how much a fucking judge makes? A fuckload. I am going to be super rich! This is why I will start spending money now. Hence my dinner plan to go out and get some Schnitzel! LET’S GET SOME SCHNITZEL! Bro, did I tell you how many women I am going to score this weekend? Yo, digger…… you listening?
Me: (thinking and breathing even deeper): What are they talking about? I hope my son will never say “digger”!!! What does he mean by “how many women I am going to score”? Maybe it is better not to know. Who is or what is a T-Bone? I think he would make a great Judge.
SP: Bro, how many chicks do you think I will bang this weekend? Digger, zero? That’s not fair, dude. Fuck you! Anyone who thinks lower than zero failed and should get the f-off the train. Ha-ha, just kidding!
What the fuck, bro?! What the fuck are you talking about, digger? What the FUCKARE YOU FUCKING TALKING ABOUT, BRO?!? OH, MAN! [laughs]…Sorry for laughing so hard. You just reminded me of one of our inside jokes from school. So fucking hilarious. These teachers suck. They all seem pretty uptight compared to our crazy asses. Alright, this was a good chat. Catch you later, digger… Peace!
Me [crying on the inside]: Thank god that’s over. What just happened? Is this the way teenagers talk to each other these days? I consider myself funny. I love to laugh! I love to make other people laugh. I could not help but wonder who these two people are. Will he become a Judge? A politician? Will he sentence people by calling them digger before the handcuffs click?
Since when did language change that much? When I was that age we never spoke to each other like that. Does this make me sound old? Sort of, I think but this is fine with me. We just had different values but life seemed a lot better. Last thought and back to my first question: what is a “digger”?
Well, there are many meanings. I don’t think those two meant “a person, animal, or large machine that digs earth. Or a member of a group of radical dissenters formed in England in 1649 as an offshoot of the Levellers, believing in a form of agrarian communism in which common land would be made available to the poor”. Believe it or not, the word “digger” is not from the USA but from Germany and derives from the German word “Dicker”, most likely from the Hip-Hop Scene in Hamburg in the 90s. Since “ck” is pronounced “g” in the Hamburg region the word “Digger” had been somehow created. It also has nothing to do with a derogatory term of a heavier person.
The other day, my son, who is in second grade, came home with his friend who he called “digger”. Now, all I want is a Schnitzel and some wine. Does anyone want to hug me? I dreamt of this conversation already several times. I am an applied linguist. I will see myself out.
With this being said, I wish you all a Happy New Year! Thank you for reading my stuff. I will see you all in 2022. And please, nobody claims 2022 as “their year”. We are all going to walk in real slowly. Be good. Be quiet. Be cautious and respectful. Don’t touch anything.
