Are you ready to do away with the phrase "it is what it is", where did this come from and how did most of the country including actors, news commentators, and politician adopt this phrase?

well you know, it is what it is!

VSPrasad's answer is very well done, but I still like to use it in a pinch.

I kinda like it. It sure simplifies alot of discussion.

I love it. it is so much better than "whatever!"

I kinda like it. It is brief and describes a condition with which we are all familiar. Why fix what ain't broke? :)

It's true. that's why they use it so much. it'll go out of style eventually.

xboy here. He join JKII German clan, but live in USA. He has always say this words. It is xboy.

it's my fault...I started this mess about 15 years ago...deep in the heart of chicago, I was the token white guy getting in the way of Valerie Jarret and the Chicago Political machines attempt to help the "mein dumpkaumpf" organized Illinois Institute of Technologies pave over the historically significant Bronzeville section and make way for more of the suburbanite not so black kids. The community had been torn apart inch by inch over the years and one too many of the residents had mental scars(think angry like Obama's preacher) having seen lives destroyed by the organizations and institutions around them. To help keep people focused who wanted revenge, I coined the phrase and was able to transition conversations into a positive focus. It's funny having watched it morfed into a code for "yeah this is crap, but it's not worth getting all worked up about it, things will get better"
I am an optimistic cynic and the phrase captured my mindset...I am glad it has caught on...you can email me at kingofithaki@gmail.com if you think I am making this up...be well...GAM

A cliche, popular within the circles of coaches, business execs, and those of us who just want to say "It's happened. 'I'm going to forget about it. I'm going to move on. There is nothing that can be done about it."

Voted by USA Today as the #1 cliche of 2004

A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.

A phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually means "it will be what it is," as in "it ain't gonna change, so deal with it or don't."

in a nutshell, it means "this is the way its going right now, and thats how it is." kind of a way to say: dont overthink the situation. a reminder to keep things simple, dont overanalyze things, or a way to put a definition on something thats hard to explain.

What incredibly vapid, stupid and unoriginal people say when they cannot construct a proper thought, retort or sentence.

A term popularized by the people of Los Angeles. It connotes that the truth is simply that... the truth. Deception of the truth will only piss people off down the line, and you don't want to piss people off, who knows you might get shot. You want to live in the truth, and you like to keep it real.

Usually said about something that has no frills, not perfect, more than a little to apologize for (but probably NOT delineated), not much to be said for it, but offered for face value.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=it+is+what+it+is

The phrase is not new. Although the origin is uncertain, it has been around for years.

In 2004, in a sports world full of complexities, "It is what it is" has joined the ranks of familiar sports clichés such as, "We're playing them one at a time" and "There is no tomorrow."

"It is what it is" has become the all-purpose alternative to the long-winded explanation.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-12-27-cliche-of-year_x.htm

IT IS WHAT IT IS – "This pointless phrase, uttered initially by athletes on the losing side of a contest, is making its way into general use. It accomplishes the dual feat of adding nothing to the conversation while also being phonetically and thematically redundant." – Jeffrey Skrenes, St. Paul, Minnesota.

"It means absolutely nothing and is mostly a cop out or a way to avoid answering a question in a way that might require genuine thought or insight. Listen to an interview with some coach or athlete in big-time sports and you'll inevitably hear it." – Doug Compo, Brimley, Michigan.

"It seems to be everywhere and pervade every section of any newspaper I read. It reminds me of 'Who is John Galt?' from 'Atlas Shrugged.' It implies an acceptance of the status quo regardless of the circumstances. But it is what it is." – Erik Pauna, Mondovi, Wisconsin.

"Only Yogi Berra should be allowed to utter such a circumlocution." – Jerry Holloway, Belcamp, Maryland.

"This is migrating from primetime 'reality television' and embedding itself into otherwise articulate persons' vocabularies. Of course it is what it is...Otherwise, it wouldn't be what it would have been!" – Steve Olsen, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.

http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

Of all the little catchphrases that I can't stand, "it is what it is" isn't one of them.

It's a phrase that asserts that sometimes people have to simply accept the way something is, which I think too many people refuse to do anymore. This is why psychologists and pharmaceutical companies stay in business. People can't handle the simple truths of life.

One of the most basic premises for recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction is learning to "live life on life's terms," and I'm of the opinion that there are plenty of people not addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs that have the very same problem. Many of them end up dependent on legal drugs instead.

But, it is what it is. Right?

PEOPLE USE THIS PHRASE TO IMPLY THAT " THIS IS THE WAY IT IS AND THERE IS NO CHANGE GOING TO TAKE PLACE REAL SOON". TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.
Most phrases like this come fromjunior high and high school students.

“It is what it is” can be considered rude within the context of it use. It’s very passive and can show a lack of concern for human interaction on a more personal level and lends itself to condescension. It never should be used in highly charged or delicate emotional exchanges because it can be evasive as to the true root of an issue for the recipient. Generalizing statements like this can be more of an assault as well as an insult when used improperly and not so much a convenient rationalization. Do away with it, no but, consider this what goes around comes around so if it's dished out it should be taken as well.

I know something similar from a 1983 poem in German bei Erich Fried:

1) "What it is

It is nonsense, says the reason
It's like it is, says love

It is unfortunate, says the calculation
It is nothing but pain, says the fear
It is hopeless, says the insight
It's like it is, says love

It is ridiculous, says the pride
It is frivolous, says the precautions
It is impossible, says the experience
It's like it is, says love

Erich Fried"
(Google translate, somewhat modified)


2) Here an alternative translation:
"It is nonsense says the reason.
It is what it is says the love.

It is misfortune says the computation.
It is not anything as pain says the fear.
It is hopeless says the realization.
It is what it is says the love.

It is ridiculous says the proud.
It is careless says the caution.
It is not possible says the experience.
It is what it is says the love."
Source and further information:
http://inexhaustibledesertdream.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!9506436E5B7AE7C!1945.entry
(here the exact sentence)


3) Here the same in original German:
"Was es ist

Es ist Unsinn, sagt die Vernunft
Es ist wie es ist, sagt die Liebe

Es ist Unglück, sagt die Berechnung
Es ist nichts als Schmerz, sagt die Angst
Es ist aussichtslos, sagt die Einsicht
Es ist wie es ist, sagt die Liebe

Es ist lächerlich, sagt der Stolz
Es ist leichtsinnig, sagt die Vorsicht
Es ist unmöglich, sagt die Erfahrung
Es ist wie es ist, sagt die Liebe

Erich Fried"
Source and further information:
http://www.satsangforum.de/satsang/topic/was-es-ist_710.html

Further information:
http://herrabisz.spaces.live.com/ (in German)


4) "Erich Fried (6 May 1921 — November 22, 1988) was an Austrian poet settled in England, known for his political-minded poetry. He was also a broadcaster, translator and essayist.

Born to Jewish parents Nelly and Hugo Fried in Vienna, he was a child actor and from an early age wrote strongly political essays and poetry. He fled with his mother to London after his father's murder by the Gestapo following the Anschluss with Nazi Germany. During the war, he got casual work as a librarian and a factory hand. He joined Young Austria, a left-wing emigrant youth movement, but left in 1943 in protest at its dogmatism. In 1944 he married Maria Marburg, shortly before the birth of his son Hans. In the same year his first volume of poetry was published. He separated from Maria in 1946, and they divorced in 1952. In the same year he married Nan Spence Eichner, with whom he had two children; David (1958) and Katherine (1961). Erich and Nan divorced in 1965. In 1965 he got married for a third time to Catherine Boswell with whom he had three children; Petra (1965), Klaus and Tom (1969).

From 1952 to 1968 he worked as a political commentator for the BBC German Service. He translated works by Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas.

In 1962 he returned to Vienna for the first time.

He published several volumes of poetry as well as radio plays and a novel. His work was sometimes controversial, including attacks on the Zionist movement and support for left-wing causes. His work was mainly published in the West, but in 1969, a selection of his poetry was published in the GDR poetry series Poesiealbum, and his Dylan Thomas translations were published in that same series in 1974.

In 1982 he regained his Austrian nationality, though he also retained the British nationality he had adopted in 1949. He died of intestinal cancer in Baden-Baden, Germany, in 1988 and is buried in Kensal Green cemetery, London.

An Austrian literary prize is named after him - the Erich Fried Prize."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Fried

----- ADDED -----------

1) The title of the poem is "Was es ist".
This could translate as "What it is"

What "the love" says is "Es ist wie es ist".
Google translate and Babelfish give here the simple translation: "It's like it is" ("It is like it is")
Alternative translations could be:
- "It is how it is"
- "It is as it is"


2) Here some translation help:
"wie [viː] adv → how;
wie groß/schnell? → how big/fast?;
wie viel → how much;
wie viel Menschen → how many people;
wie wärs? → how about it?;
wie wärs mit einem Whisky? (umg) → how about a whisky?;
wie nennt man das? → what is that called?;
wie ist er? → what's he like?;
wie gut du das kannst! → you're very good at it;
wie bitte? → pardon? (Brit); pardon me? (US);
(entrüstet) → I beg your pardon!;
und wie! → and how! konj

1. (bei Vergleichen);
so schön wie ... → as beautiful as ...;
wie ich schon sagte → as I said;
wie noch nie → as never before;
wie du → like you;
singen wie ein ... → to sing like a ...;
wie (zum Beispiel) → such as (for example)

2. (zeitlich);
wie er das hörte, ging er → when he heard that he left;
er hörte, wie der Regen fiel → he heard the rain falling
Collins German Dictionary & Grammar 5th Edition 2007© HarperCollins Publishers 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007 "
Source and further information:
http://de.thefreedictionary.com/wie
Interessant is here the (bei Vergleichen / in the case of a comparison) section.
So I followed Babelfish / Google in my own translation - and that was possibly not the best - but the second translation "It is as it is" is just as valid as the translation "It is how it is".


3) I am not so sure that Erich Fried invented this expression. There are a lot of other references in German for it, and some of them could eventually be older:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22es+ist+wie+es+ist%22
Here an example where this expression is supposed to be a very old saying:
"To master this boundless discourse, the people need a large pool of phrases and wisdoms that very well illustrate the state of mind of the people from Cologne. The three basic ones are as follows:

Et ess wie et ess
Standard German: Es ist wie es ist.
English: Things are the way they are.

Et kütt wie et kütt
Standard German: Es kommt wie es kommt.
English: Things will turn out the way they do.

Et ess at imme joot jejange
Standard German: Es ist noch immer gut gegangen.
English: In the end it always turned out just well."
Remark that here, the Cologne dialect / German saying is translated by the corresponding English saying "Things are the way they are."


4) my theory is that, in the modern time of quick translations, although a similar saying ("Things are the way they are.") already existed in English, the German saying "Es ist wie es ist." has been again translated in English, using a wordly translation, as "It is as it is".
And this became in English a new catchphrase.

It's better than "ya gotta do what ya gotta do."

I see the phrase "it is what it is" as being much the same as the legal phrase "res ipsa loquitur" from Latin meaning, "the thing itself speaks" commonly know as "the thing speaks for itself"

I think it is quite fitting in many occasions so no I wouldn't want to do away with it.

I randomly wonder the same thing, but the funny thing is I think it was the movie "Heat" (1995) that made it big! A scene between Al Pacino & Robert De Niro, where Pacino says " So then if you spot me coming around that corner, you just gonna walk out on this woman? Not say goodbye?" and De Niro replies "Thats the discipline" Pacino then says "Thats pretty vacant" De Niro replies with "Yea, it is what it is... That or we both go do something else pal"