# Humble brag, my butt. It's worse than a braggity brag **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 16, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157 "2015-05-16T03:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/21 "2015-05-17T13:15:21Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > The line between humble bragging and first world problems can be fuzzy. Imagine the stuff you regularly complain about being read by an African villager. Oh no, the store ran out of your favorite potato chips? You think you paid out the nose at the auto repair place? Susan in accounting is a total bitch? The video game you’ve been looking forward to has been delayed? Do go on. > > Sometimes it’s not humble bragging, at least on purpose. Like someone complaining about the service in first class. It’s possible they want to show off, but it’s pretty probable they’re legit pissed and want to tell you about it. Everyone is in their own bubble. I don’t think most people humble-brag knowing they are humble-bragging. Like any other faus paux, it’s happens when someone isn’t really cognizant of how they sound to their audience. If your audience is made-up of people who have never boarded a plane, let alone first class, then your chances of saying something “humble braggy” about riding in first class is very high–and you’d best be particularly thoughtful about what you say. Just like skinny chicks need to be careful about how they word their body-image complaints in a room full of obese people. No one wants to hear a skinny person complaining about their microscopic muffin top when everyone else is carrying around a monster truck tire. Yeah, everyone should be able to complain about stuff. But not every complaint is going to be received the same way, by the same people. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/22 "2015-05-18T01:14:16Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t think most people humble-brag knowing they are humble-bragging. Like any other faus paux, it’s happens when someone isn’t really cognizant of how they sound to their audience. If your audience is made-up of people who have never boarded a plane, let alone first class, then your chances of saying something “humble braggy” about riding in first class is very high–and you’d best be particularly thoughtful about what you say. > > Just like skinny chicks need to be careful about how they word their body-image complaints in a room full of obese people. No one wants to hear a skinny person complaining about their microscopic muffin top when everyone else is carrying around a monster truck tire. Yeah, everyone should be able to complain about stuff. But not every complaint is going to be received the same way, by the same people. Actual quote from the FB page of one of the offenders, which is what set me off: “I don’t mean to humblebrag, but…” Also, I know these people. These aren’t first-time-in-first-class people, these are the kind with something afuckingmazing happening to them every day and who never have a conversation not about themselves. Like I said, a good story is great, and bragging once in a while is fine, but some people just can’t STFU about me, me, me. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/23 "2015-05-18T04:18:11Z")
So why do your read their facebook crap? It isn’t mandatory for some reason, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/24 "2015-05-18T12:00:15Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > So why do your read their facebook crap? It isn’t mandatory for some reason, is it? I just went to read some Facebook crap and realized I left all my iPads in my other mansion and my private jet was in the shop so I had to send my butler to the Apple Store in my Maserati to buy some more. Technology is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/25 "2015-05-18T17:35:01Z")
God I know what you mean… one of my maids does this all the time and it drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/26 "2015-05-18T18:29:52Z")
FYI - The term “Humblebrag” was coined by comedian/writer [Harris Wittels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Wittels), who very sadly died from a heroin overdose earlier this year. I think a lot of people confuse any kind of “stealth” bragging as a HumbleBrag when actually a HumbleBrag is a lot more nuanced than that. From the examples in the OP: > [@](#): > > “I sure am out of shape! I only managed 30 miles on the bike this morning in the freezing rain, riding uphill into the wind the whole way!” > > “I’m really tired of all these girls hitting on me! I just want to be left alone.” ^^^ Not really HumbleBrags, these are just brags. True Humblebrags would be more along the lines of: “I can’t believe the post office wants me to ride on their Tour d’France team, I’m SO SLOW AND OUT OF SHAPE.” or “I was at the Vogue after-party and all of these girls keep hitting on me! Haven’t they seen my mirror?” The specific quality that makes it a true HumbleBrag is that the bragging is joined by a self-deprecating remark of some kind. Not just complaining about the thing you’re bragging about. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/27 "2015-05-19T03:25:28Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > God I know what you mean… one of my maids does this all the time and it drives me nuts. I’m lucky – only about half of my household staff does it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/28 "2015-05-19T16:37:25Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > FYI - The term “Humblebrag” was coined by comedian/writer [Harris Wittels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Wittels), who very sadly died from a heroin overdose earlier this year. … I support artists and particularly young comedians by hiring them as heroin “tasters” when they can’t get any other gig. But they keep dying, and I’ve gotten very depressed about it recently. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/29 "2015-05-20T01:17:10Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I’m lucky – only about half of my household staff does it. Why is that lucky? I said one of mine does this… half would be 20 or 30… I’m not sure but that would be intolerable. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/30 "2015-05-20T06:25:36Z")
Bragging of all sorts makes me nauseous (BTW, “nauseous” was the word I won with in the International Spelling Bee I was forced to participate in as a first grader). Don’t think all the humble bragging is committed just by all you average to low witted people either. Hell, some of the worst offenders I’ve encountered were my fellow classmates at Harvard, Cambridge, MIT and Oxford. Talk about neurotic blowhards—they made me sick! My fellow Nobel laureates are little better—_“oh, look at me, I’m a Nobel winner, aren’t I special!”_ _No, you’re not special, get over yourself!_ I stick all my many awards in the closet (and extra-large storage facility) and never discuss them. Why? Because I have couth (_“couth”_, my kindergarten Spelling Bee winning word), that’s why. I’ve noticed a high correlation between humble bragging and outright lying, too! I can’t tell you how many times we’ve measured new recruits in my Giant Penis Club, only to find that they fall quite a few millimeters shy of the 9 inch length/ 6 inch girth requirement. \*Hello, it’s not a crime to have a tiny penis! \* I was telling my protégé, God, just the other day, _“what the hell, dude, couldn’t you have created man with a little more humility?!?_” He replied, _“Well, if I had a penis as big as yours, I wouldn’t feel as compelled to compensate vicariously through my creations.”_ He has a point, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/31 "2015-05-20T07:34:00Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > The line between humble bragging and first world problems can be fuzzy. Imagine the stuff you regularly complain about being read by an African villager. Oh no, the store ran out of your favorite potato chips? You think you paid out the nose at the auto repair place? Susan in accounting is a total bitch? The video game you’ve been looking forward to has been delayed? Do go on. > > Sometimes it’s not humble bragging, at least on purpose. Like someone complaining about the service in first class. It’s possible they want to show off, but it’s pretty probable they’re legit pissed and want to tell you about it. Everyone is in their own bubble. I bet that African villager looks like a right ass when he bitches about this years fruits not being so sweet due to weather conditions, when you consider there are civilians in war zones being raped to death. My point is EVERYONE bitches about things that to someone else will seem trivial. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157/32 "2015-05-20T15:56:38Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Why is that lucky? I said one of mine does this… half would be 20 or 30… I’m not sure but that would be intolerable. Because you only have maids and I have a whole staff? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humble-brag-my-butt-its-worse-than-a-braggity-brag/720157.md?page=1)