Abbreviations ...Or Abbr.

If you enjoy pop culture then you probably have an impression of what Southern California (So. Cal to the locals) is like. There is the glitz and the glamor of Hollywood, the beautiful beaches with beautiful people, and the super violent crime of South Central. While some of this may be true, the one thing that I've noticed more than anything about So. Cal is that people here love to abbreviate.
Some of these abbreviations are warranted. For example, Pacific Coast Highway is a mouthful and I could see how saying "PCH" could streamline a conversation. Plus, PCH has a nice ring to it. It almost begs to be said. The same can not be said about "BH," which is the common abbreviation of Beverly Hills. To me it just seems ridiculous. Beverly Hills itself has a better more inviting sound than the sluggish "BH." In this "LOL, OMG" world in which we now live, I'd put money that those shortcuts originated here in Los Angeles county.
I didn't surprise me then when I took a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and I saw that it was shortened to LACMA. What did surprise me was the common practice of not only using the acronym of the museum but that the acronym was then pronounced as a word (i.e. Lack-Ma). Furthermore, the new Broad Comtempory Art Museum on the LACMA campus is shortened to BCAM and then pronounced "Bee-Cam." Why not "The Broad?" That's got a good ring to it.

All I'm saying is, "PICK A SIDE PEOPLE!"

If you make an acronym try to stick to it as an acronym (unless it actually makes a word that has relevance to its subject (i.e. D.A.R.E. or M.A.D.D). If you can't stick to the acronym, try shortening it to a word or two that gets the idea across. I'm all about efficiency, but I also enjoy crisp clear communication...call me old fashioned.
Perhaps I'm making too much of this but its my refusal to use such shortcuts that make it quite obvious that I am not in "the know."

TNT

Post Script: In honor of this entries subject matter, I took the opportunity to keep it short.

States: 26
Countries: 8

This Post For Those With Limited Attention Spans:
So. Cal. people like to abbreviate.
I don't really like to abbreviate.
Sometimes they pronounce the abbreviations as words.
Pick a side people!