The word “swag” has been the acronym for a surprisingly large amount of phrases. Here are a few: Scientific Wild Ass Guess, Sealed with A Gift (Hence the term “swag bags),Secretly We Are Gay, Silver, Wine, Art & Gold, Sold Without A Guarantee, Souvenirs, Wearables, Accessories, & Gifts, and a slew of other acronyms. Presently, “swag” is often identified as swagger, which is defined as:
“To conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner; especially: to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence
I don’t have an issue with swag; toddlers can have swag, teenagers can have swag, heck, even your sweet dog or cat can have swag, but people often confuse swag, with confidence, which is defined as:
“A feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances”
Look at the above definition- confidence comes from relying on your own power. In order for one to have confidence, you have to go through situations, so that you can be comfortable and ready when things arise. Swag cannot create this- you can LOOK the part, and TALK the part, but when the “rubber meets the road”, swag disappears.
The reason for the title “Substance Without Actually Getting it” allows the person who has confidence, to understand a person who has swag. There is nothing wrong with having self-confidence; in fact, a person who has gone through trials and tribulations has the RIGHT to have exude confidence (not arrogance) when presented a situation that they are enduring. Think about Michael Jordan’s game winner in the 1998 NBA Finals. When he shot this jumper, I am pretty sure that the millions of people KNEW that it was going in. That is not S.W.A.G.
Yesterday; we took our son to the mall to get a couple pairs of shoes. He loved his shoes-you should have seen him dancing around, refusing to take them off. He’s 2 years old!! When my wife playfully asked him to give her some money to pay for the shoes, he reached in his pockets, and yelled out, “Mommy I don’t have any money!!”… Swag.
As always, thanks for reading.
Garry
P.S.