There are plenty of others that I don't really care to think up right now, but the one that's bothering me at this moment is "meme." Back in college when I first learned the word it was basically as defined by Wikipedia... a unit of cultural transmission, of information or behavior, like a gene for society. Pretty cool, huh?

But these stupid bloggers (and maybe other people, I mostly see it in blogs) insist on using the word to mean any kind of chain mail-esque idea or challenge, like this "what books are you ashamed you haven't read" deal. I think that doesn't qualify as a meme by virtue of being both too small (it's not culturally pervasive and only affects a targetted group) and too intentional. You don't just declare something a meme. It becomes so by the power of its idea. As with genetics it becomes vital or obsolete all on its own.

And it mostly just peeves me because it's such a cool thing reduced to such a mundane and useless meaning.