I, like, stand corrected! The “like” verbal tick began in the 1960’s. It’s enough to make one think that maybe something… insidious happened in the ‘60’s. (cough, Vatican II, cough, Novus Ordo Mass, cough.)

A card-carrying member of the Barnhardt Podcast Listenership caught both Art Decco and me in an OBVIOUS whiff. I’m embarrassed this didn’t occur to me, it’s so obvious, and such a massive component of my early childhood and pop culture in general.

The “like” verbal tick entered the culture in the 1960’s, and we know this from… Scooby Doo.

Shaggy’s signature verbal tick was, “like.”

Scooby Doo – the real, original-gangster Scooby-Doo – was produced from ARSH 1969, so, like, yeah. And bonus points if you know who the voice of Shaggy was. Yup, none other than Casey Kasem.

I’ll give Scooby-Doo credit for teaching children that ghosts, space aliens, zombies and sentient robots are all, to use the contemporary slang, fake and gay, namely criminals attempting to hide behind the preternatural. That’s probably why you don’t see them broadcast anymore. It’s interesting to note that demons never appeared, explicitly named, on Scooby-Doo. Do you know why? Because demons are real.

And now here’s my Long Distance Dedication: here’s the best Scooby-Doo chase song, “Pretty Mary Sunlight.” Fun fact, Pretty Mary Sunlight was written by Jerry Reed. The Snowman. Eastbound and down. How’s THAT for pop culture?

Bruce Jenner is a man. And furthermore I consider that islam must be destroyed.