We will GUNG HO: Unthinkingly Enthusiastic
Ready to go, all dressed up, firing on all cylinders … Gung-ho are we?
Whoddathunk that the slang originates from a Chinese term?
The Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (Gōngyè Hézuòshè), to be precise, which were organisations established in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937- 1945) to support China's war effort by organizing small-scale grassroots industrial and economic development. Super casual.
The term - Gōngyè Hézuòshè - was abbreviated to Gōnghé and is a combination of the Chinese words gōng, which means "work", and hé, which means "join".
The snowball factor in this origin story of the term can be attributed to Marine officer Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson, in 1942. He used the term as a training slogan for his Second Raider Battalion in California, inspired by the Chinese army's cooperative system, which he observed while studying in China in 1937.
The energy behind this type of zeal seems to be firmly based on consolidating politically active groups. That makes sense. But is enthusiasm a crime in this mise-en-scene? Case in point: Gen Z (ages 12-27), who make up 30% of the population, are engaging in ‘resenteeism’, where you hate your job, but you just can’t leave because you’re worried about the risks that come with a change of career.
This seems to have grown out of ‘quiet quitting’, where someone refuses to work beyond basic expectations, otherwise known as ‘the practice of taking it easy at work’. It’s a subtle but definite devolution into an apathetic state of play.
In religion, enthusiasm is defined as a person possessed by God. Once upon a time, the concept of enthusiasm was entirely tied up with religion. The word originated from the Greek: “enthusiasmos”, meaning being inspired by or possessed by God. This was the main definition for 200 years! Talk about laggy.
Another version is:
Sport, or Fandom aka Fanaticism!
Cheering for your team is an effort purely out of enthusiasm. Fans form deep bonds with their team or artist. They have parasocial relationships with them. It’s fun. It’s escapism. The whole point is to be liberated from the mundane and having to be quiet, serious, and non-plussed. It’s a roller coaster ride without the apparatus. If your team wins, you can scream with abundance, if they lose, you might even have a cry.
There are also wins and losses with performers (musicians, actors, etc). Sad songs vs bangers; romantic comedies vs horror flicks. You could argue that there are layers and nuances of enthusiasm, all brought together and played out through these types of fan experiences.
The exclamation mark! Is an excellent case in point (geddit?)
The exclamation point is the visual text indicator of enthusiasm. Often perceived to be overused. It’s an accessory to the English language that we didn’t realise we needed until, in the 20th Century, Italian Scholar Alpoleio da Urbisaglia “felt very annoyed” (I quote) that people were reading script with a flat tone, even if it was written to elicit emotions. So he made a point about it.
It has had a few iterations throughout its history: “the point of admiration”, “note of exclamation”, “sign of admiration” and “exclamation point”.
There we go. The exclamation mark is the symbol of enthusiasm, emotion, not caring what others think, being happy, and, well, exclaiming something about the world.
Lost Enthusiasm.
Where did it go? Ghosting Gusto.
If you google ‘Gen Z and enthusiasm”, you get a swathe of options. How Gen Z defines it, and how they express it in words (“It was lit!” According to Forbes magazine, this also redefines workplace jargon). And what about it? Gen Z has its own way of t aking in the world. It’s low-key. A low-key person is discreet, calm, has a sense of humility, is authentic, has a preference for intimacy and is independent. Low key is a social media term, but is it used to render all these traits of a person and merge them to create the perfect unbothered (yet also muted-expressive) human? Significant but not overly intense. Subtle emphasis, not overwhelming.
It makes sense when so much of the current culture is in your face 25/7 (yeah, there’s an extra hour in there), and the dopamine makes it really hard to stop scrolling. It tracks that low-key (a muted enthusiasm for life) would be a preference. Not drowning, waving.
Passion, Ardent, Avid, Concerned. You Name It.
Enthusiasm is emotional. It’s passionate. It’s cringey. It’s kind of powerful. It's also a shifty way of changing things that don’t feel right. It can propel culture change. It can be seen as fake. It might even be seen as positive.
So, three cheers for enthusiasm. However, you want to frame it. From the hallowed halls of Chinese industrial cooperatives to the hallowed halls of Gen Z's TikTok feed, enthusiasm has morphed from a divine possession to a meme-able mood. It's a curious journey, from the zealous fervour of religious ecstasy to the tepid apathy of modern work culture.
Enthusiasm, like a double-edged sword, can be a catalyst for both creation and chaos. It can ignite revolutions and fuel fanatical fandoms but also lead to reckless abandon and ill-conceived schemes. Is it better to be a gung-ho zealot or a stoic cynic? Perhaps, as the wise ones say, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, in a nuanced blend of passion and prudence.
So let us toast enthusiasm, that fickle and often misunderstood emotion. May it continue to inspire us, frustrate us, and, most importantly, entertain us. After all, what's life without a little bit of gung-ho?
