Fighting for a Nickname

Its not easy in popular culture to compete against slang and the evolution of the English language.  Sometimes that evolution improves on the original and sometimes it goes in the gutter.

One of my good friends has had the nickname of Skeet for many years, growing up in the South where Skeet was often a nickname associated with children, sometimes a short version and friendly reference to Mosquito or Muskeeters or skeeters or just plain skeet.

Skeet has been fighting to retain the pleasant and historical skeet definition despite several attempts by pop culture to change it.  A couple different comedians and a rap song or two have come about and rhymed the word into a reference that has nothing to do with children or language that is usually used around children.

Now I am not easily offended by any language.  I hear and read language for what it is a symbology of a meaning that people are trying to convey.  The slang adoptation of this word does not offend me, however I can definitely understand my friend Skeet's attempts to hold back the tide.

Over the years many names and words have changed from their orginal meaning to slang, or derogatory words, even curse words.  All these shifts are usually the product of a change in the symbology where one portion of the culture is working to segment out another portion of the culture.  This code language occurs on the streets, it occurs in schools, it occurs in the military, in government and in board rooms.  Sometimes its derived from acronyms and sometimes its derived from trademarks.

I am not concerned if we will be able to halt the encroachment of attempts to re-define skeet, however I will gladly help.  In an effort to support Skeet in her quest, I'm providing this article to detail her journey in summary and provide a link to the background surrounding her nickname. 

Warning - I wouldn't recommend a search for the slang definition if you are at work.  :)