Catchphrase From The Past

     “Yowsah! Yowsah! Yowsah!”
    One protestor—the man in the photo—often shouted that phrase. His fellow demonstrators smiled at him. At the time, the meaning of his phrase eluded me. This event was a demonstration against the closure of credit unions in Rhode Island.
    Later I did some research. The phrase was coined in the 1930’s by Ben Bernie. He was a radio personality. He signed off his broadcasts by chanting “Yowsah! Yowsah! Yowsah!”
    The expression had no specific meaning. Bernie created it because the wordplay sounded catchy. He died in 1943. His mantra receded from the national consciousness.
    Lots of elderly folks attended the demonstration in Rhode Island. Some of them, I suspect, grew up during the 1930’s. Hearing that ‘Yowsah’ chant must have evoked feelings of nostalgia.
    Some catchphrases wane in popularity, but they’re never forgotten. Future generations breath new life into them.