It Is What It Is!

There is a relatively new phrase that is racing through our lexicon like a pandemic. I’m sure that you have heard it, perhaps even used it. It is “It is what it is!” This seems on its surface to be an obvious statement of fact since very little is not what it is. Only liars, thieves, scoundrels, politicians, and magicians are purveyors of that which is not. Surpassed only by “you know” and “I mean,” this new phrase is ubiquitous in its use and appearance. I tell a patient that she has a neurological disorder that has a potential therapy. She defers potential treatment for now saying, “It’s not worth the risk: it is what it is.”  I am hired by an attorney to defend the builder of a house in which a roofer has fallen several stories and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. I convey my misgivings regarding the ability to successfully defend the case, and the attorney responds, “It is what it is.” I watch “Dancing with the Stars” and my personal favorite, Kristin Cavallari, is inexplicably voted off and sent home. She is asked how she feels about her premature dismissal, and she proclaims, “It is what it is.”

I’m not sure how this phrase arose, why it has become so popular, or even what it always means. Is it a filler phrase like “That’s a good question” used in order to give the respondent time to generate a thoughtful response? Or does it mean that one is disinclined to come up with a genuine and intelligent retort, or is it simply a statement of fact that what one sees is what one gets?

I must admit that I do not hear this phrase so much from young technocrats, probably because they have their sense organs firmly plastered against their smart phones and IPads. I’m not sure that anyone of my generation hears much in the way of utterances from them anyway. I don’t know what they are texting or tweeting, but somehow I doubt that they are saying, “It is what it is.”

I am not condemning this phrase but rather simply making an observation. Language is fascinating and ever evolving. New words and phrases are originating all the time along with new technologies, discoveries, and trends, and our linguistic skills need to stay current and not mired in the past. Though this newly minted phrase is not particularly descriptive or exciting, it is what it is.