[Magdalen] "insane"

[Sibyl Smirl]

Does anybody have any idea why the term "insane" seems to be 
complimentary or approving these days, especially in spam or clickbait, 
perhaps in modern slangy language, as the word "bad" was (mainly only 
for teenagers) a few years ago?  Teens, of course, delight in having 
their own language that confuses older people, cementing their age-group 
as an in-group, then the teens 5-10 years younger have totally stopped 
using it in that way, and the ones who originally used it seem to have 
also stopped, but "insane" appears me to be in spots attempting to reach 
the adult population.  It does have its normal connotation of "weird" or 
"unusual", but it also appears to have an approval, "superlatively good" 
message attached.  I only began noticing seeing it used this way in the 
last 5-10 years, and it doesn't seem to me to have the feel of an 
in-group thing, but to be in contexts aimed at everybody.




-- 
Sibyl Smirl
I will take no bull from your house!  Psalms 50:9a
mailto:polycarpa3 at ckt.net