# This? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636 "2009-02-20T00:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/21 "2009-02-20T20:11:12Z")
> [@Roadfood](#): > > 1. Because not everyone reading it will know what you mean. > > 2. Because it signals a pretentious and exclusive “I’m in the know, and I don’t really care if you aren’t.” > > 3. Because it’s lazy. Brevity is not your friend when it’s taken to an unnecessary extreme. You don’t have to go overboard the other way, as in your counter-example; you can just say “I agree”. Not a significantly greater amount of typing, but a significantly greater chance that every reader will know what you are trying to convey. > > 4. Judging by some of the responses on this thread, it’s off-putting to some people. > > Hey, you asked, don’t blame me for answering honestly. Not this. 🙂 I think it is common enough to nullify points (1) and (2), such that if it really is a problem it is the ignorance of the reader that is the cause, not the exclusivity of the writer. I don’t think it is lazy either. It doesn’t mean the same thing as “I agree”. “This” has a more extreme connotation. In pretty much all the cases where I have read it I have taken it to mean something to the effect of “I completely agree with this post, and it is a very well written statement that captures the heart of the issue at hand”. There are many statements I could read where “I agree” would be an appropriate response, but only a few of those could justify a “This”. If that is laziness then my use of the word “laziness” is laziness, as I should have said “averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent” instead. This philosophy would make reading a Stephen King novel a life long project! I would agree that a “This” by itself as a response is not terribly useful. It is better used as an introduction to an expansion of the original point, or an illuminating explanation of your agreement. Like everything, it can used for good and bad. I do think it is a useful tool for communication a point clearly and quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/22 "2009-02-20T20:12:31Z")
Baahhh ---
**Author:** ![Debon\_Err](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Debon\_Err](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debon_Err)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/23 "2009-02-20T23:15:38Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Baahhh ? As in ‘the sound a goat makes’ or as in ‘humbug’ ? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/24 "2009-02-20T23:40:42Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > This. > (I don’t know the answer to the second question. Maybe somehow related to texting?) That. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/25 "2009-02-21T16:53:24Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I like it. Brevity is your friend. Why say “I agree with the aforementioned statement whole-heartedly” when you can say “This”? This. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/26 "2009-02-21T19:08:17Z")
> [@evlkitty](#): > > ? As in ‘the sound a goat makes’ or as in ‘humbug’ ? No, as in the sound a sheep makes. i.e. “This” or “what he said” or “+1” are just human versions of sheep following the pack (doing what all the other sheep do) ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636/27 "2009-02-21T22:32:22Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > “This” is bad. > > “+1” is infinitely worse. ^ Love it. Kidding. God help us if people ever actually start using that. Valete, Vox Imperatoris [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this/486636.md?page=1)