We’re more proud of those that “teddu rooseveltu”

In SG moonspeak, that means to “kill bears without provocation and be damn well known for it.”

Not Japan, though. They love them some Obama. How much do they love him? Enough to give him his own verb.

Obamu: v. To proceed optimistically despite challenging obstacles.

Apparently, mind you, this sort of thing isn’t unheard of. Back when President Bush (Dana Carvey edition) went and visited Japan, he lost a tennis match to Emperor Hirohito and later that evening at a dinner party, he bushu suru: vomited in public.

Of course, these words never really made it into the public’s lexicon, as most people have never even heard the terms, just mainly college students, where the phrase “obamu” is supposed to be popular. Starting out by being passed around in a Kyoto University mailer, the made up word was then mentioned on Twitter. All of one grand time. That’s apparently enough to initiate societal change among young adults. Should we begin to use the word more often and keep it alive? Or should we believe in the ability to change it?

Heh. Bushu suru.