# Um, just fucking stop. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 16, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369 "2005-11-16T20:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/1 "2005-11-16T20:06:57Z")
You people that have to start a post with “um”: fucking stop it. It is an annoying habit that amounts to a typing tick or spasm. As if your keyboard has the runs or something. . It doesn’t make you look clever, it makes you look as if you are a condescending piece of shit and a perfect example with everything that is wrong with the world. If you have something to say, just say it. Use clear words (and no more of them than you need to). Really. Just give it a fucking rest. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/2 "2005-11-16T20:10:21Z")
Oh. And a preemptive fuck you to the first douchbag that posts “um, perhaps you should switch to decaf”. That one is played as well. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/3 "2005-11-16T20:10:31Z")
Um, it is a free board. I can type Um if I want you uptight asshole. Um 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/4 "2005-11-16T20:14:01Z")
Sure. Do what you want, just be aware that what you are doing is lame. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/5 "2005-11-16T20:15:05Z")
hell yeah. That is one of my biggest board pet peeves. It just makes you sound like a condescending asshole. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/6 "2005-11-16T20:15:48Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Oh. And a preemptive fuck you to the first douchbag that posts “um, perhaps you should switch to decaf”. That one is played as well. How do you feel about people who start their posts with "Oh. " rather than "Um, "? ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/7 "2005-11-16T20:16:58Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Oh. And a preemptive fuck you to the first douchbag that posts “um, perhaps you should switch to decaf”. That one is played as well. Yeah, and while we’re at it, “fuck you” to people who type pauses into their messages using “…wait for it…” Stupid assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/8 "2005-11-16T20:17:19Z")
The Peace Company Peace-related merchandise that cultivates the peacebuilder in you. [www.ThePeaceCompany.com](http://www.ThePeaceCompany.com) Ads by Google ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/9 "2005-11-16T20:17:51Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > It doesn’t make you look clever, it makes you look as if you are a condescending piece of shit… Uh, that’s exactly the point. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/10 "2005-11-16T20:18:20Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > How do you feel about people who start their posts with "Oh. " rather than "Um, "? Can’t say that I have seen that one, or at least not enough that when I do my opinion of the poster automatically goes down. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/11 "2005-11-16T20:18:24Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > How do you feel about people who start their posts with "Oh. " rather than "Um, "? That is totally different of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/12 "2005-11-16T20:19:36Z")
uh, hello? it’s called sarcasm 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/13 "2005-11-16T20:19:53Z")
I also gotta take issue with this OP. The SDMB is not a characterless and soulless medium for the interchange of factual data and rigorous scholarly debate. It’s also a place where people hang out and chat. And when chatting, sometimes people like to try to add personality and voice into their posts, and they do so a variety of ways, and if they want to do so with “um”, that’s absolutely their right. Ums don’t make posts irritating, posters make posts irritating. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/14 "2005-11-16T20:20:28Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > Uh, that’s exactly the point. I get that; I just find it to be terribly lazy and pointless. True condescension is an art form. This “um” business just makes you look like an unimaginative asshole. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/15 "2005-11-16T20:20:35Z")
How about if you use it, um, later in the post? You know, to indicate, um, hesitancy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/16 "2005-11-16T20:20:43Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > If you have something to say, just say it. Use clear words (and no more of them than you need to). Really. Just give it a fucking rest. Um, fuck you. Given the nature of the communications over the internet, one has to be careful to convey nuance and emotional meaning in order to accurately communicate. By starting a post with “Um”, I help define a reluctance to speak or an insecurity- given that most of the posts that I start with such are statements of factual correction, it can be the difference between an interpretation of “Excuse me, but I think you’re incorrect” and “Fuck you, asshole, you don’t know jack” while retaining an informal and casual conversational tone. My other alternative is to use smileys, and I abhor the little fuckers. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/17 "2005-11-16T20:21:40Z")
**Binarydrone** Were you actually trying for the lamest pitting of the week award? Is there such an award? If not should there be? I was just wondering Jim ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/18 "2005-11-16T20:24:28Z")
> [@John Corrado](#): > > …I abhor the little fuckers. That’s just horrible. Won’t someone \*please \*think of the little fuckers? ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/19 "2005-11-16T20:25:57Z")
> [@Bruce\_Daddy](#): > > The Peace Company > Peace-related merchandise that cultivates the peacebuilder in you. > [www.ThePeaceCompany.com](http://www.ThePeaceCompany.com) > Ads by Google Peace indeed. From now on, I’ll start my posts with “Om”. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369/20 "2005-11-16T20:26:18Z")
Ah bullshit. You know that you love it. This place needs threads like these so that it can follow its little ingrained and predictable pattern. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-just-fucking-stop/331369.md?page=2)