Gen Z and Gen Alpha have recently adopted the name” Ohio.” However, this is not a smile to the state’s rock and roll heritage or its chili with a cinnamon spin. Alternatively,” Ohio” has been repurposed as a word for something “weird or absurd”, and the younger years are embracing it with passion.
The origins of this new jargon can be traced to the long-standing tradition of making fun of Ohio on the internet. The condition has frequently been the subject of online jokes, from popular YouTube video that make fun of Cleveland to jokes that suggested Ohio was on a key quest to rule the world. Today, it seems that Gen Alpha, those born between 2010 and 2024, have taken this humour to the next level.
On systems like TikTok, where users casually cut the word” Ohio” to explain something clicheworthy or ridiculous, the term has become so popular. The “only in Ohio” image, which has gained popularity over the years by highlighting unusual or unanticipated events from the Buckeye State, is now being promoted on NBC.
Earlier this summer, phrases like” Only in Ohio” and” You’re so Ohio” saw a dramatic spike in Google searches, tripling to over 58, 000 inquiries. According to The Wall Street Journal, the phrase topped the list of most popular memes on the search engine next year, coming in at the second place.
But what does” Ohio” really mean to these online natives? For many, it’s shorthand for something that just does n’t sit right, something off-kilter or downright odd, according to the New York Post.
Origins of the’ Ohio’ joke
Some of the earliest jokes about Ohio date back to 2009, when the” Hurriedly Made Cleveland Tourism” video went viral on YouTube. In 2010, singer Lil B more cemented Ohio’s image position with his monitor” Swag Like Ohio”, and by 2016, the Tumblr blog calling for Ohio’s “elimination” propelled the condition into online disgrace. The article featured a digital star dangerously declaring,” Ohio will become eliminated”, sparking a series of jokes that portrayed Ohio as a looming risk.
Fast forward to today, and” Ohio” has become a versatile insult, often paired with another Gen Alpha slang term, “skibidi”. The latter is a jargon word connected to brain-rotting videos that are popular with children, more highlighting the absurdity and absurdity of the” Ohio” insult.
Therefore, if someone in Gen Alpha or Gen Z lightly drops the phrase” Ohio” in dialogue, it’s not a reference to the country’s happy past or its many attractions. Otherwise, it’s a funny jab at anything that seems a little too away there, a little too strange, or just plain ironic.
