Use of the condescending "Ummm..." to start a post

[joycem10]

Can we ban the use of a snotty, smarmy & condescending "Uhhh..." or "Ummm..." or "Hmmm..." at the beginning of a post. Its part of a trend of many posters to talk down to or lecture other posters.


For example for those who dont know what I mean, someone will make a sweeping statement or throw out a fact:

Everyone knows blah, blah, blah...

Someone else will reply like this:

Uhhh.... actually its well know that blah, blah, blah is not in fact true as evidenced by blah, blah, blah...

Like I said above, I find it childish, smarmy and condescending, not to mention a easy way to flame someone and imply they're stupid without repercussion. I'd like to see a ban on this type of thing.

 

[Abaddon]

uhh, actually i dont think its offencive.




-just think of it as the poster having to think... so in a way, they are flaming themselves!

 

[Gainy]

That one doesn't bother me so much, but I know what you mean. The one that bothers me most is when "people" say:

"Personally, I think that.... blah blah blah"

How the fook else can you think of something? 'Personally' just makes it sound stupid and childish. I've restrained myself from insulting certain "people" on several occasions just for the incorrect use of that word.

 

[Red Door]

Sometimes I use Hmmm to show that I'm thinking about an idea somebody said.

 

[MrCynical]

Yes, I don't see "Hmmm..." as condescending. That merely indicates that the person is thinking about an idea suggested by someone else, and will probably require further thought after they've posted.

"Uhhh..." I must admit to using occasionally, but only when someone has responded with a post that is either inane or unintelligible.

"Ummm..." I also use occasionally, as a polite introduction to pointing out someone has said, or done, something truly moronic or embarassing (or both).

They aren't intended to be particularly condescending, but provide a concise way of expressing my feelings on some posts. When someone posts something that looks like it's been put through 30 different languages on Babelfish, and then had every word misspelt with the result it is completely unreadable, I feel "Uhhh... what?" sums up my feelings fairly well.

 

[thetrooper]

Sometimes I use Hmmm to show that I'm thinking about an idea somebody said.

Same here.

Frequently used to express retrospect.

 

[Sir_Lancelot]

It have never crossed my mind that this can be interpreted in a negative way. On the rare occasions where I say "hmmm" it means I'm not quite sure - it's something I am thinking about.

Maybe some posters use this in a negative way. But to determine if someone is talking in an offending way we need to look at the whole post, not just single words.

 

[thetrooper]

What irritates me is this:



Ban it!

 

[Heretic_Cata]

First i thought it was about the user "ummm..."

On topic:
Is this a joke ?
Is this a spam thread ?

Using umm... at the begining of a post doesn't make that insulting at all. (Maybe only in the offtopic forum ...)

I usualy use instead but i sometimes write it too.

 

[ComradeDavo]

People are alawys going to get annoyed by something or other, best approach is to try and be respectful to all and try not to get too bothered by little things like putiing an 'umm' or something in a sentance!

 

[Turner]

As always, if a post offends you, report it.

 

[Padma]

Just remember that while we respond to all reported posts, sometimes our response is to do nothing.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Just remember that while we respond to all reported posts, sometimes our response is to do nothing.

That did happen on several ocasions.

 

[.Shane.]

Can we ban the use of a snotty, smarmy & condescending "Uhhh..." or "Ummm..." or "Hmmm..." at the beginning of a post. Its part of a trend of many posters to talk down to or lecture other posters.

Sometimes what the prior poster said was ridiculous enough to warrant a "ummm...."

Seriously, outside of profanity, you shouldn't police a forum to this degree. You'll turn it into a bunch of rules lawyers and grammar brownshirts. It lacks humor enough as it is.

 

[Dreadnought]

I dont know why its offensive.

I say things like hmm, uhh, and meh all the time

 

[ainwood]

Discussion forums rely on written communication. Unfortunately, in not being able to see or hear other people, you lose a lot of aspects of communication that are important in conveying meaning - body language, intonation, pitch, etc.

As such, there are frequently cases where people take offence to things that they would normally not take offence to. "Umm" in a post could be meant like "eh?" - as said in surprise.

We can't really go banning people for things like this.

 

[Ansar]

why use hmm..., when you can just use .

Colorful AND expressive.

 

[Dreadnought]

Except if you have a black skin, then the hmm part blends in...

 

[ummmm........]

First i thought it was about the user "ummm..."

I'm glad someone did. I was feeling downright unloved . . .

 

[classical_hero]

Umm... I really do not know wha to say. Bah.