Throughout history, humans have imagined new ways of doing everything. From communicating to cooking, our imagination provides the fuel for perpetual change. Historically, the courage to step outside the norm belonged to the rebel, the eccentric, and the “weirdo.” These pioneers were often met with opposition, disgust, or exile, yet they pushed on. They seemed crazy at first—until the world realized they were the only ones with the audacity to see what was actually possible. Eventually, we celebrate them for going where no one dared to go.

But lately, people on the outer fringes of our mundane society seem desperate to make themselves palatable to the general population. Instead of embracing the new and creating a culture they can call their own, they try to fit in.

Language is the cornerstone of culture. Every word we use was once discovered or invented by a person. Without imaginative thought and the social agreement to associate a sound with a concept, words are just arbitrary symbols. I learned this from Dr. Alan DeSantis in a college communications class: “Words are arbitrary; we give them meaning.”

As a freedom maximalist—someone who believes that individual liberty should be pushed to its absolute limit, especially in how we express ourselves—that stuck with me. It provided a framework to communicate by any means necessary. It bothers me when people ridicule others for using vocabulary that isn’t “standard.” They say, “You made that word up.” I interject: “Aren’t all words made up?”

I find it annoying when people try to ossify language. They act like high-brow intellectuals, yet they lack the context clues to comprehend anything not found in the latest Merriam-Webster. They belittle creators until people become afraid to innovate.

Look at vegans. They are, by many counts, counterculture. But even as they become normalized, they feel the need to assimilate to the status quo of meat-eaters. Why name your food after the things you’ve chosen not to eat? Carrot Dogs. Smart Bacon. Impossible Burgers. Why not create a new language for a new way of eating?

I know the counterargument: “Impossible Burger” sells better to the masses than a made-up word. But since when did counterculture start prioritizing marketing over authenticity?

Bacon is bacon. Making it out of wheat and soy doesn’t make it “smart.” And what is a “carrot dog”? It’s a carrot on a bun. If you take the bun away from a hotdog, it’s still a hotdog. If you take the bun away from a carrot, it’s just a vegetable.

Vegans eat familiar names to feel like they fit in, yet at every BBQ, they “fit out.” We clear a spot on the grill and prep their food to taste smoky just to accommodate them. If they have the discipline to change their entire lifestyle, why don’t they have the moxie to change their vocabulary?

Creating words requires social consensus, and I understand why people hesitate. We see this with AAVE (African American Vernacular English). Many words from Hip Hop have entered the dictionary due to their ubiquity, yet AAVE is still treated as “lesser than.” People are told to “speak real English” in professional settings, and those who use vernacular are often branded as having lower intellect.

I counter that: If a person can understand both AAVE and the King’s English, but you can only understand the King’s English—who is the one lacking intellect?

We are told that sophistication means following the rules, but true intellect lies in the ability to bridge worlds. If you are stuck within the rigid walls of a dictionary, you’re not a scholar; you’re a prisoner. I’d rather be one of the “crazy” ones, inventing my own vernacular and defining my own reality, than a “genius” who is too intellectually fragile to understand a word that wasn’t handed to him by a committee.

At the end of the day, words are just tools. You can use them to build walls that keep people in their place, or you can use them to build bridges to places no one has gone before. I choose the bridge.

So, the next time someone tells you “that’s not a word,” just smile. Remind them that every concept we navigate today started as a “made-up” thought. If they can’t keep up with the evolution of the air coming out of your lungs, that’s not your lack of education—it’s their lack of imagination.