Tongue Not In Cheek

As an educator and a student of human nature, I am always trying to understand behavior trends. During the last school year, as I was trying to get together a series of photographs to represent my kids, I couldn’t help but notice that almost every shot of someone’s face had a tongue sticking out sideways. It was either that, or they were puckering their lips in a carp-like fashion.

What? I ask the kids about it and they usually shrug and give me the most succinct answer they can muster:“Dunno.”

An anthropologist would say sticking out one’s tongue is an early form of non-verbal communication. It can also indicate delayed physical development.

I’ve read some responses on the net trying to explain this behavior, all of them unsatisfactory. Usually a teen writing about it tends to use txt-speak, offering numerous emoticons and spellings like “gurl” “cuz” and “sez”. The answers given are just as pithy:  ”Cuz we’re crzy!!!” “It’s kewl.”
Now I figure most of us are fairly bright. I’m interested in you trying your hand at an explanation…for instance: “Overexposure to chemicals is causing a regression to a primal lizard state.” See? I can accept that. Or: “It’s seizure activity.”  Or even: “It’s a new mating ritual designed to discourage procreation.”
Just don’t tell me “It’s all good.”

I know better. I’ve seen enough to know that just ain’t true.

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