Post on Blackboard from my Lit. Professor.
NOTICE: From this point forward, if I see “relateable” in any essay, formal or informal, that you turn in for credit, I will automatically deduct 5 points from your grade. If I don’t see an IMMEDIATE drop-off in usage, I may start deducting a whole letter grade. Merely suggesting that you not use the term seems to have no effect at all.
The term is slang, relatively new, and inane. It is a touchy-feely term, a feel-good term, it suggests something very positive as it makes you the arbiter of value. If you can relate to something, it must be good. Think about that: how narcissistic is that? Get the word out of your formal prose. I would strongly advise that you limit your use of it around adults and especially around any older folks that you want to impress. It has got to be one of the most irritating slang usages in a VERY LONG time.
