# Explain to me "That doesn't even make sense." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 28, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831 "2010-06-28T19:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/1 "2010-06-28T19:57:25Z")
I’m starting to see the subject phrase more and more in ‘internet debate’. Honestly, if someone uses that phrase it brings two things to mind: 1. I’m missing some modern saying, and it doesn’t _really mean_ I’m not making **any** sense. 2. It’s a debate waffle to get you to create a well reasoned, 1200 word reply…which will be replied to with: “See, I was right, you DON’T know what you’re talking about, it still doesn’t make any sense!”. How can I, as a reasonably intelligent doper, talking on a subject…not make _any_ sense? None whatsoever. Further, how can I pick a topic I make a living in, hold certifications for, make a lot of money doing…and yet still have some guy on the other end of the intertubes reply with ‘That makes no sense!’? It doesn’t directly fall under any of the august [Cracked Internet Arguement Techniques](http://www.cracked.com/funny-3809-internet-argument-techniques/), but I ALSO find myself reminded of the obligatory [XKCD](http://xkcd.com/386/) So, what say you? Do you just ignore anyone making that statement? Have I really never made any sense? Should I have made this a poll? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/2 "2010-06-28T20:23:48Z")
Sometimes it just means, “I don’t have a clue what you’re saying.” (So I’ll just redirect the argument.) Sometimes it means, “I can’t follow your argument.” (So I’ll blame it on you.) Sometimes it means, “You’re not saying anything that matters.” Sometimes it means, “Oh, well, you’re just an idiot.” And sometimes it means you made one huge typo, or edited without looking. I think I’d look at the first two possibilities first. Oh, forgot. Sometimes it means, “You’re right and I know it, but I’ll be danged if I’ll admit it.” (La, la, la, I can’t hear you.) ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/3 "2010-06-28T20:27:13Z")
Hoo, boy, there are a good number of posts in GD that don’t even make any sense. Aside from the possibility that those posts were in fact written in frontier gibberish, and literally made no sense, dab nabbit, it could be that the logic used to construct the argument is not consistent, or perhaps even contradictory. So it may not be the English that doesn’t make sense, it’s the argument. Without seeing your posts, it’s hard to see what the other may be talking about. You seem coherent. Maybe you’re not stating your points well, or maybe the commenter is a tool. No way to know. PS – Why do people use the phrase “no way to know?” There must be SOME way to know! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/4 "2010-06-28T20:34:11Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Aside from the possibility that those posts were in fact written in frontier gibberish, and literally made no sense, dab Saaay, your last name isn’t Johnson, is it? What amazes me is how quickly something that may really, truely, demonstrably be true, becomes irrelevant because you can’t back it up with three peer reviewed journals and dispensation from the Pope. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/5 "2010-06-28T20:55:18Z")
For me, mostly, it’s a variant of **thirdwarning** ’s 2nd option: “I can’t follow your argument. The spelling and grammar is OK but it’s completely unclear what you’re trying to argue and/or how.” ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/6 "2010-06-28T20:57:16Z")
Unintentionally Blank, can you link an example? I mean, did someone accuse you of not making sense about something in particular? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/7 "2010-06-28T21:01:17Z")
The OP doesn’t even make sense. What was the question? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/8 "2010-06-30T09:56:07Z")
When I say “That doesn’t even make sense” it means “I don’t understand what you mean”. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/9 "2010-06-30T13:01:19Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > When I say “That doesn’t even make sense” it means “I don’t understand what you mean”. “…and I’m pretty sure that’s your fault” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/10 "2010-06-30T13:13:28Z")
what is this I don’t even ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/11 "2010-06-30T13:35:22Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Unintentionally Blank, can you link an example? > > I mean, did someone accuse you of not making sense about something in particular? I had two, but in retrospect, one wasn’t a good example (the thread was going pear-shaped) and the other was extremely narrow in topic, dealing with changing service ports on a server and having it reduce traffic from badguys performing enumeration on a network.) The frustration is that the statement is so wide open. I’ve got no problems restating a contention, but telling me NOTHING I’ve said makes sense makes me wonder if they’re really paying attention or glossing over my posts. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/12 "2010-06-30T18:38:19Z")
It’s a direct reference to the [Chewbacca Defense](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca_defense) I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/13 "2010-06-30T19:31:05Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > what is this I don’t I accidentally your post. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/14 "2010-06-30T19:37:24Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > It’s a direct reference to the [Chewbacca Defense](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca_defense) I believe. Which I don’t understand. It doesn’t even make sense! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/15 "2010-06-30T20:46:34Z")
Even if you’re never guilty of it, Unintentionally Blank, you should be able to recognize that some people make arguments that can’t be answered because they lack an internal logic. If you’re debating a person who makes an illogical argument, you have to choose from imperfect options 1) don’t answer, in which case the other person thinks they have won; 2) expend a lot of time and energy pointing out the logic error; or 3) write something short that says in effect, “your argument is no good and I don’t care to explain why–try again or consider the discussion over.” What galls me is a person who’s not involved in the conversation who drops in to say, that doesn’t even make sense. But the Internet is full of rude a-holes and life is short. ---
**Author:** ![SantaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/16 "2010-07-02T04:10:54Z")
“One might make a case for your premise, and one might make a case for your conclusion, but it’s beyond me how anyone from this planet could go from your premise to your conclusion” “It is imperative to save the village, therefore we must destroy it” ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/17 "2010-07-02T04:40:31Z")
If you’re debating someone who repeatedly claims your arguments don’t make sense, the best response would be to open a poll and ask others if your arguments do, in fact, make sense. If the do, and the person you are debating doesn’t accept it, then ignore them and move on, for you have won the debate. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-that-doesnt-even-make-sense/544831/18 "2010-07-02T11:45:23Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > … 1) don’t answer, in which case the other person thinks they have won… In my advancing age and increasing Wisdom, I’m finding that it’s perfectly okay to let some anonymous internet denizen think they’re right if it means I don’t have to expend the calories in proving them wrong.