# I Pit Those Who Think Quoting Passes for Wit. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711 "2005-04-29T14:15:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/1 "2005-04-29T14:15:16Z")
You know who you are. You’re the douchebag at parties who quotes long stretches of **Monty Python** verbatim. You’re the dumbass who still salts his conversation with bons mots from **Seinfeld.** You’re the asshole who has a quote from **The Simpsons** for every occasion. Have you ever had an original thought in your whole life? Do you know how annoying are? What is broken in your head that makes you believe such tiresome parroting makes you appear hip/witty/ironic? Turn it off. Let the quoting begin. ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/2 "2005-04-29T14:18:53Z")
Ripped Shirt Kirk it is. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/3 "2005-04-29T14:19:50Z")
I am intrigued by your ideas, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/4 "2005-04-29T14:20:23Z")
No, seriously. I see all the people that are mightily pleased with themselves for quoting some Monty Python line, and think “are you fucking 12 years old?” ---
**Author:** ![esquimalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@esquimalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/esquimalt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/5 "2005-04-29T14:22:31Z")
My Brian Hurts ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/6 "2005-04-29T14:28:06Z")
Holmes! Thanks for the personal appearance. Nothing like a type specimen to illustrate my point. Have anything from **The Simpsons** you’d care to share with us? Maybe even a couple times so that it’s twice as funny? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/7 "2005-04-29T14:28:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you know how annoying are? Clumsy your language is. ---
**Author:** ![esquimalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@esquimalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/esquimalt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/8 "2005-04-29T14:29:27Z")
> [@esquimalt](#): > > My Brian Hurts Oops - Make that Brain ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/9 "2005-04-29T14:32:22Z")
Can we still quote **South Park**? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/10 "2005-04-29T14:34:48Z")
> [@gaucho](#): > > No, seriously. I see all the people that are mightily pleased with themselves for quoting some Monty Python line, and think “are you fucking 12 years old?” Ni! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/11 "2005-04-29T14:37:50Z")
[QUOTE=Scumpup You’re the asshole who has a quote from **The Simpsons** for every occasion. [/QUOTE] Well, there **is** a Simpsons quote for every occasion. Plus the fact that it is a cultural touchstone for many people make using quotes handy. I know that you are upset about being compared CBG. You really need to loosen up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/12 "2005-04-29T14:43:56Z")
I faaaaart in your general direction. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/13 "2005-04-29T14:44:05Z")
It’s called referential humor. The skill lies in selecting a reference that is appropriate to the situation and intelligible to the audience. One of my favorite personal moments was when I cracked up a usually stone-faced friend by, after listening to two of our other friends talk about some proposed linguistic changes to some language or other, I whipped out - “That’d be double-plus ungood.” She just lost it. My reference just happened to strike her brain the right way and she got a huge laugh out of it. Which made me happy. So, to summarize : Yes, it is wit, thank you very much; just not a kind you are used to or appreciate, but I don’t swim in your toilet, so don’t pee in my pool. ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/14 "2005-04-29T14:44:08Z")
**Pup** it was a joke. It was an attempt to illustrate how far you had taken a discussion about the retcon of the Golden Age of Heroes way too seriously. Again the ‘normal’ response to being compared to CBSG would have been either to respond in kind or to bring it down a notch. You open a pit thread. C’mon, you have to realize this over the top. And I don’t quote anything…I make **references** … ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/15 "2005-04-29T14:46:15Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > It’s called referential humor. The skill lies in selecting a reference that is appropriate to the situation and intelligible to the audience. Extended warrenty? How could I lose?!? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/16 "2005-04-29T14:48:13Z")
I think it’s funny, most of the time. If someone is using it all the time, every sentence, it’s akin to swearing all the time. Also, you should choose your audience with care. If the person you’re talking to never watches whatever show it’s obvious they won’t get it. But \*punners \* still go to a Bad Bad Place. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/17 "2005-04-29T14:49:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Extended warrenty? How could I lose?!? Aahhh. The sweet spot. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/18 "2005-04-29T14:50:29Z")
People seem to pass off “too much information” or “more than I needed to know” as wit. Unbelievable. It’s died down from a couple years ago, but it’s not-nonexistent. Wow, what kind of humorless fuck do you have to be to think that going, “more than I needed to know” is going to get you a laugh. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/19 "2005-04-29T14:53:29Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > People seem to pass off “too much information” or “more than I needed to know” as wit. Yeah, those are so yesterday – Not! ---
**Author:** ![esquimalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@esquimalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/esquimalt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711/20 "2005-04-29T14:53:38Z")
Of course I’m French. Why do think I have this outrageous accent? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-those-who-think-quoting-passes-for-wit/301711.md?page=2)