Genuine

“I do not think it means, what you think it means.” – Inigo Montoya

Genuine. It’s thrown around a lot. In life, on social media, that word gets used and re-used and frankly abused. But I don’t think people are using it correctly.

It means:
– truly what something is said to be; authentic. Ex. “it’s genuine leather”
synonyms: authentic;real;actual;original;true
– (of a person, emotion, or action) sincere. Ex. “a genuine attempt to delegate authority.”
synonyms: honest, truthful, unhypocritical, srtaightforward; candid, direct, frank.

What people usually mean it lately in life and social media:
– uncritical and mindless positivity or encouragement.

The word seems to be used as a misnomer for when people want a blind ‘yes-man’ kind of mentality. But to be genuine means to be sincere and truthful.

So I’m being genuine if I say, “I hate that’ and mean it.
I’m being genuine is I say, “That is poor, shoddy, and uninteresting” if I truly believe that.
I’m being genuine if I say whatever as long as I mean it.

I’m not being genuine if I say, “That’s the best! So cool!” and don’t mean it.

So be clear in what you want.