# Annoying myself with my own smart-assedness **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650 "2007-12-03T12:40:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raspberry\_NOT\_Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Raspberry\_NOT\_Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raspberry_NOT_Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650/1 "2007-12-03T12:40:30Z")
This is a serious problem for me. I am pretty clever, I guess, but when I’m with friends I often catch myself making some smart-ass comment, usually showing off some random factoid which happens to sort-of relate to whatever is passing at the time. Example: We were walking through a park and saw someone wearing a beret. Someone referenced an old beret joke. Then when a (bag)piper came toward us in full kilt etc, some mention was made of his beret. Without waiting for my moron-filter to kick in, my mouth opened and I said: “That’s not a beret, it’s a tam-o-shanter.” An awkward pause. This kind of clanger spews forth from my mouth at horribly regular intervals. I think others are starting to hate me. I’m starting to hate me! It gets worse if beer’s involved. I read widely and drop clumps of poetry into discussions about teabags. My sister kind of does the same thing and I DESPISE it when she does. Help me! I am making an effort to CUT IT OUT, including getting one friend to kick me if I say something showoffy. It speaks volumes for her worth as a human being that she is entering into the spirit of these corrections with a will. Anyone else share a similar affliction? Anyone got any tips? ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650/2 "2007-12-03T13:26:16Z")
Switch to scotch. ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650/3 "2007-12-03T19:52:21Z")
I, too, am an unwilling knee-jerk joker, punster and pedant. It bothers the hell out of me; it bothers those around me even more. I had to start asking myself why I felt a need to show off my intelligence. I mean, _I_ know I’m smart and witty, the people I care about know it too. The only thing my insistence upon proving it was doing was to alienate others. Then I realised that I was only doing it because of old shit in my childhood that I was hanging on to, and it was having the opposite effect of what was intended. That truly helped me to be more aware of what I was doing, and my Verbal Editor started working overtime. I still give him vacations, but at least he’s employed. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650/4 "2007-12-03T20:25:32Z")
I have the same condition, to some degree. I try to remember these two things: (1) In these situations it’s more common to regret opening your mouth than keeping it shut. (2) It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-myself-with-my-own-smart-assedness/428650/5 "2007-12-03T23:05:18Z")
I’m a bit like that when it comes to natural history. Finally, _finally_, after years of blurting stuff out, I learned that nobody else cares that those are ravens, not crows, or that local wild hogs are a hybrid of domestic pigs and European wild boars, etc. etc. Really, my motivation is to Share Cool Stuff, but it’s not seen that way. This trick helped: repeating to myself that I will not be seen as helpful or informative, but officious and condescending.