From my research, dictionaries seem to commonly share the idea that being wild means someone or something is unregulated or uncontrolled. These descriptions tend to appear more negative in tone, linking words like “violent and barbaric” to describe the manner of “wild”, mainly referring to supposedly uncivilized tribes in unexplored lands. Being wild can also indicate an attunement to nature and being free with dictionaries using “land, country, and animal” as examples of the use of the word. On the other hand, dictionaries also describe “wild” more positively by using it to describe circumstances that are excitingly unusual. Overall, the word wild as described by dictionaries conjures the image of an unkempt & vicious savage who is more beast than man.
In my own life, my use of “wild” lines up with how dictionaries describe it positively. My experiences with using the word come mostly from attempting to speak like a “90’s skater kid”, mixing it with other words like “rad” and “sick”. Falling in line with this, I regularly use wild to describe any kind of exciting action or event I came across, often combining it with various curse words to enhance how spectacular I thought it was. Meanwhile, I generally shun using wild negatively, focusing primarily on how the dictionary links being wild to being uncultured. I believe that when the word is used to describe tribes, it leans on being insensitive as most tribes are just as civilized as the common city, just in a different way that many don’t seem to understand or respect. The use of the word feels like a holdover from the old eras of colonization which leads to associations of tribes to the wild wilderness that they live in, & paints the picture of “savage beasts of the land” that I feel discredits their way of life.
– Kenny Ly
I love the “they say” paragraph you did. You did a great job in summarizing the dictionary definition of wild. You also did a great job in transitioning from one paragraph to the next. I love how you took a positive outlook on wild because it truly can be used in a good sense.
I really like how you mention that people tend to put tribes on the negative side of the term wild and how you take a different approach about this. I agree with you that people don’t take the time to understand their way of life and quickly jump to conclusions. You say we should respect them and not be insensitive which shows how we should try to be more accepting of things which are different than what we are used to experiencing. This way we would lean more towards the positive side of the term wild which I also tend to use the word for since it gives me this sense of being free and fierce.
I really like how you mention that people tend to put tribes on the negative side of the term wild and how you take a different approach about this. I agree with you that people don’t take the time to understand their way of life and quickly jump to conclusions. You say we should respect them and not be insensitive which shows how we should try to be more accepting of things which are different than what we are used to experiencing in order to have insight into different perspectives. By doing this I think we would lean more towards the positive side of the term wild which I also tend to use the word for since it gives me this sense of being free and fierce.
I like how you incorporate the more “Urban Dictionary” version of wild. It is a much more positive way to view wild instead of the more negative view. I also would much rather take the more positive definition and I believe it is more commonly used in that way in recent times.