If you don’t know what “yolo” stands for by now, you probably have zero access to modern technology. If you don’t know what it means, you are far more fortunate than those of us who have to listen to our ignorant friends incorporating it into everything they say. Not only does it sound ridiculous and false to those who believe in rebirth, it is a terrible excuse for the youth of America to act outrageously.

It originates from  rapper Drake’s hit single, ‘The Motto’, in which he says, “You only live once:  […] YOLO”. Technically, it promotes a daring lifestyle and taking risks, but its meaning has been warped to promote making bad decisions while providing an obnoxious excuse. If America had a dollar for every time a teenager said YOLO before committing some brainless act of absurdity, we might be able to get gas back under four bucks for the summer. This saying began as a gleeful joke, but its popularity has grown and evolved into a phenomenon – a dangerous one at that.

There haven’t been any fatal accidents in the Niles North community because of YOLO, but one can assume that it has been the culprit for several serious problems and injuries. What people don’t seem to understand, is that Drake is an extremely prosperous entertainer who can afford to fix the calamities that his YOLO lifestyle inflict upon him. The youth of America, including the students at Niles North, aren’t in his shoes, though. In the midst of all this YOLO madness, Drake is rumored to collaborate with MMG head honcho Rick Ross to make a mixtape entitled ‘YOLO’, which would only fuel the YOLO craze.

So to all the YOLOers out there, I ask you this: if you only live once, why risk ruining it by making careless and hazardous choices? That said, hopefully you will go back to being yourself and putting an end to YOLO– once and for all.