So Many Reasons to Be Mad

So Many Reasons to Be Mad

Mad Hatter: Why is a raven like a writing desk?
Alice: Riddles? Now let me see…why is a raven like a writing desk?
Mad Hatter: I beg your pardon?
Alice: Why is a raven like a writing desk?
Mad Hatter: Why is a what!!
Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland“ , 1951

Madness is a colorful expression that can lead to many uses to infuse a certain emotion or description. The context of the word mad is crucial in relaying it’s meaning. Mad by itself cannot be expressed properly unless it is supported by its sentence. Being mad can mean that a person is angry, insane, foolish, or infatuated with something or someone.

Anger is the most common relation when the word “mad” is used. Though it is the most common reference, it is not the original term for the word. Mad is derived from the Old English word “gemad” to imply that a person is “out of ones mind.” These days, the insanity meaning competes with American English to express anger. Being mad with anger as the sense of the word, is the basic way of relaying the emotion of being genuinely upset or frustrated about something.

Being mad is also a way of describing someone’s insanity. When someone is mentally disturbed or deranged, they are said to be “going mad” or being overcome with madness. Just like the “Mad Hatter” in the Disney movie, “Alice in Wonderland“, he is depicted as being crazy and acts differently than what a normal person would, living up to his title. For example, in the movie the Mad Hatter says, “No wonder you’re late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.” It doesn’t make sense, which goes to show that he is not in his right mind. Being “mad as a hatter” is a term that was created in the 1850’s to describe someone’s craziness. The reason for this term of phrase is because hat makers used mercury in the manufacturing of felt hats. Unfortunately, the effects of contact with the metal resulted in disease which had symptoms of insanity. Madness can also run in animals when they are diseased, for example the scares of the mad cow disease, when livestock was overcome with a disease that affected the animals brain and resulted in abnormal behavior. Other animals besides livestock can go mad from disease if they are affected with rabies. When a person lacks restraint or reason, and is extremely foolish or unwise, they are said to be mad. For example, if a scientist does something in an experiment that lacks better judgment, and know the consequences of his or her actions come a mistake, they are labeled as being mad. They are better known as being a “mad scientist” which was a phrase that came into the English language in the 1940’s. Describing insanity or practicing foolish methods or decisions are usually referred to as madness.

Madness can be used when describing infatuation. A person could say, “I’m mad about my shoes,” or even fill in the blanks with a person, and still be describing some sort of infatuation. Whether a person is overcome by desire, eagerness, or enthusiasm, they can be pinned as being mad. There is also the common phrase of being “madly in love” with someone to explain a deep feeling of passion and romance, or “love sickness” towards that person. So why is it that we have turned madness into infatuation? Madness has morphed over the ages and can now be used to express some sort of excitement about something in more recent times. A person can be mad with ideas or emotions, becoming completely overcome with their thoughts and beliefs as well as their feelings. Madness can be used to describe it when a person is overcome with some sort of infatuation.

Mad is now a word that has been turned into slang. In more recent years, people have been heard to say, “that chick is mad hot,” or “I just played some mad levels on my new video game.” So what does mad mean in this sense? Crazy could be plugged into these phrases by saying that the girl is crazy hot or the levels in the game were crazy, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the girl or game are insane. The only true sense of the word in this context are that the users are implying that what they are describing is above the magnitude of normal circumstances or standards.

Madness. It is a word that can only be used when supported by its context. The meanings of being mad range from many ideas. Anger is the most common reference to madness. Everyone knows what it is like when they say they are mad, to communicate that they are upset about something. Insanity is another meaning for madness, which indicates when used properly that someone is mentally disturbed. Being mad with foolish decisions such as a “mad scientist” is also a common reference. Also, when a person is obsessed with something or someone, as well as describing infatuation with someone they can be mad, as well as the use of the term of being “madly in love.” Mad is recently a term of slang that is used to express something that is above normal standards. Madness, or being mad, is a word that should not be restricted to the means of a solitary definition.

Works Cited:
http://www.fun-with-words.com/etym_phrases.html
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?1=m