Stupid prefaces

[Rod Stroker]

Why do people start statements with stupid sounding prefaces like

"To Be Honest"; what, so everything else that you've said hasn't been honest?
"Needless to say"; if there is no need to say it then why are you saying it?
"Not to mention"; if it is not worth mentioning then why are you mentioning it?

I've been guilty of these as well in past, but lately it's really become irritable since I've realised how ridiculous they actually sound.

Why do people talk like this?

 

[Gibbsy]

To be honest I have no idea

 

[thecatattack]

To be honest I don't care about this topic but needless to say you tried your best and not to mention the fact you're a North supporter...

 

[Bluelegs]

To be honest, it's because it helps you segue into what you're trying to communicate nicely without having a conversation sound jarring. Needless to say when conversations don't flow properly they become quite awkward and boring, not to mention that some of these statements are meant to emphasise the point you are making, "needless to say" and "not to mention" are generally used when you're trying to emphasise that your point should be obvious to everyone, they're just argument techniques.

 

[Silent Alarm]

"But at the end of the day."

Oh, wrong way around.

 

[Gibbsy]

Okay I shouldnt just leave this thread with a bad one-liner. Out of respect to the OP I'll construct a response worthy enough.

I do find myself saying "to be honest" more than I should but I think it's often because I hear it from nearly everyone else and it rubs off on me; becomes a habit almost. An old doctor once told me I should say "to be frank" instead of "to be honest" as the latter makes it sound like I'm lying every time I don't preface a statement with that particular phrase... I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where he's coming from.

"Needless to say" and "not to mention" - don't use either.

 

[Ed_Gein]

To be honest, i don't have a problem with it now that you mention it.

 

[Del80659]

not to be racist but we really need a black guy on the team

 

[Messenger]

Needless to say if there isn't a Facebook group about this it likely isn't a real problem. To be honest I've never rally thought about it.

 

[Northworth]

at the end of the day (I am hoping your point will no longer be valid)

when you think about it (because I am suggesting you haven't)

all things considered (this time I am pointing out that while you may be thinking about it you are being narrow minded)

 

[AtomicBlonde]

To be honest, it's fair to say that this really belongs in the "Things That Shit Me Thread."

 

[Rod Stroker]

To be honest, it's fair to say that this really belongs in the "Things That Shit Me Thread."

I thought it belonged in the "words/phrases that w***ers use" thread that used to live somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

 

[AtomicBlonde]

I thought it belonged in the "words/phrases that Moos use" thread that used to live somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

You're probably right. I have trouble finding old threads all the time since the up-graded BF went live. Then again I am pretty much a technophobe so it doesn't surprise me.

 

[Tulip]

The fact of the matter is that they're just there to emphasise a point.

 

[jethro11]

Now I'm no racist (insert racist comment here).

 

[worbod]

"I wouldn't be seen dead..." is another useless preface. If you were dead you would have no control over what it is you would or wouldn't want to be doing.

 

[woopedazz]

The truth of the matter is that it's needless to say to be honest.

 

[Poseidon]

Not to sound racist but Hitler's ideology was 100% spot on.

 

[THRILLHO]

No offence but this thread is really shit.

 

[cancat]

No offence, but now I'm going to say something that will offend you

 

[Andre]

Yeah nah, basically this thread has literally ain't done nothing to prove prefaces are stupid.

 

[The Dice Man]

I can't honestly say this thread has taught me anything needless to worry about.

 

[Northworth]

literally......

ironically......

(what follows in literally never ironic)

 

[DJ Dupree]

No offence, but now I'm going to say something that will offend you

This. So very much of this. Whenever someone says 'No offense' at the start of a sentence, you can guarantee that whatever they say next will offend you. Whereas if they'd have just said it without the 'no offense', you wouldn't have been offended.