# Quit using "Going forward" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438 "2008-05-07T15:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/1 "2008-05-07T15:45:46Z")
This is the most mundane, useless, redundant, mindless expression to enter the language in a long time. I know it must have begun in some business office someplace, where jargon and bizspeak seems to run amok. But I have not seen a usage of the term where it added anything, or where it was in the least bit called for. I also believe that people often adopt a phrase simply because they’ve heard someone use the expression and it sounds like it must be the “in” thing to say. People ought to think about what they say and how they say it, and dropping that expression into their language is an example of the sheep mentality of speakers. From this point on, cease and decist using this pointless expression. I HAVE SPOKEN. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/2 "2008-05-07T15:49:10Z")
Whenever someone tells me to do something going forward, I want to respond as in Dilbert: “Thank you for ruling out time travel.” But I also want to keep my job, so I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/3 "2008-05-07T15:55:41Z")
Another phrase I find irritating and pointless is “price point.” Just say “price.” It’s the same thing. Tacking a “point” onto the end of it is redundant and pretentious. I also hate “at the end of the day,” and “step up.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/4 "2008-05-07T16:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Another phrase I find irritating and pointless is “price point.” Just say “price.” It’s the same thing. [/QUOTE] [No, it isn’t](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_point). It’s just another unfortunate example of corporatespeak corrupting an otherwise useful terminology. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/5 "2008-05-07T16:05:28Z")
As someone who listens to this crap all day, I’m here not to defend the “going forward” and “price point”, but to add a little bit of explanation and context. When I first heard “going forward” it was clearly being used to refer to something that was not to be done right now, or in the current circumstances, but in the future and under not-yet-existing circumstances. In a rather narrow sense, it meant something different from “from now on” or “in the future”. “Price point” comes from economics and refers to a point on a demand curve. It doesn’t simply mean price, used properly. It means the demand for a product at a particular price. Like any term of jargon, it becomes meaningless when used by folks who don’t know what it means. Both terms are overused, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/6 "2008-05-07T16:08:20Z")
[QUOTE=Crotalus] When I first heard “going forward” it was clearly being used to refer to something that was not to be done right now, or in the current circumstances, but in the future and under not-yet-existing circumstances. In a rather narrow sense, it meant something different from “from now on” or “in the future”. [/QUOTE] Sort of like the word “eventually”? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/7 "2008-05-07T16:10:25Z")
[QUOTE=CC] Sort of like the word “eventually”? [/QUOTE] It was usually intended to be more precise than that, but it often worked out that way. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/8 "2008-05-07T16:14:01Z")
[QUOTE=CC] …cease and decist… [/QUOTE] “Stop” would have worked perfectly well here. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/9 "2008-05-07T16:18:35Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] “Stop” would have worked perfectly well here. 😛 [/QUOTE] 🙂 I wondered how long it would take for someone to address my own use of language instead of the content. Love this bbs. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/10 "2008-05-07T16:25:34Z")
“bbs”? What are you, forty? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/11 "2008-05-07T16:31:10Z")
[QUOTE=CC] Sort of like the word “eventually”? [/QUOTE] Eventually implies a lack of certainty over the timing and the process. “Going Forward” implies a lack of certainty of the timing, but control of the process. ie. “Okay We will go in by hand and edit the message queue for foreign characters, Going Forward we’ll turn the log level upto 3, bounce, and set up a monitor. Eventually they’ll get the money to upgrade to version 3.0 which has extended character set support.” Tells the bosses exactly what is going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/12 "2008-05-07T16:32:10Z")
Huh. Ten+ posts into a Pit thread and no one’s tried to turn on the OP yet? I don’t get the hate for “going forward”; I’ve probably already used it a few times today in what has turned out to be an e-mail heavy day. I use it most in correpsondence with newer staff who would benefit from knowing why we’re currently not following established precedent as they learn their jobs by both asking questions and reviewing old work. Historically we have sazzie-womped the floober in case the wonk was crurled, but going forward we expect the wonk to be crurl-free and we can skip this step. Sure, there are other ways to express the same thing as “going forward”, but it’s concise and works fine for me. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/13 "2008-05-07T16:40:13Z")
One of my co-workers (“M”) keeps hash marks on a notepad to count occurences of “going forward” during management meetings. Yesterday’s tally from our meeting with the new VP: 6 I amuse myself by catching the "going forward"s and then looking over at M to see if she’s making a mark. She hasn’t missed one yet. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/14 "2008-05-07T17:06:51Z")
The OP reminded me of my signature. (OK, it’s not exactly “go forward”, but it’s close.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/15 "2008-05-07T17:22:18Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] “Stop” would have worked perfectly well here. 😛 [/QUOTE] Yeah, but there are all sorts of X and X-type phrases in English in which the second word is redundant (with apologies to Bill Bryson): cease and desist, spick and span, kith and kin, aid and abet… ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/16 "2008-05-07T17:22:53Z")
We usually use it around here with regard to the fixing of problems - meaning we’ll fix anything that comes up from now on, but we’re not going to go back and amend things that have already been done. I find it quite useful in this context. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/17 "2008-05-07T17:27:15Z")
I use “going forward” rather frequently, to describe a change that needs to take place starting…now. It’s also to confirm that the person doesn’t need to make corrections to what has happened up until now. I use it instead of “from now on” because “from now on” sounds too much like a command. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/18 "2008-05-07T17:31:03Z")
At this point in time, I could care less. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/19 "2008-05-07T17:50:02Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] “bbs”? What are you, forty? [/QUOTE] You trying to make point, whippersnapper? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438/20 "2008-05-07T18:22:23Z")
It’s especially grating when pronounced as going “fohward”, as is done by all the higher ups here who are from New York. The phrase I hate is “reach out”, as in get in touch with. “ **Wook** , could you reach out to so and so. . .” . No. I’ll call, e-mail or even waddle over to their desk, but I don’t “reach out”. Sorry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quit-using-going-forward/448438.md?page=2)