"I'm not being funny but..."

ESBlonde

I'm not being funny, but did you get those tyres changed?

Bygone_Tones

similarly "with respect..."  really means "I dont respect you at all"

mudslide73

Bygone_Tones said:

similarly "with respect..."  really means "I dont respect you at all"

+1 

sinbaadi

I'm not being funny.
I'm not being funny....or  anything!

impmann

Much like someone slagging something or someone off and then finishing the rant with... "just saying".

Cunts

Reverend

Bygone_Tones said:

similarly "with respect..."  really means "I dont respect you at all"

I'm just telling it like it is. Which means I haven't got a clue. 

Sporky

Bygone_Tones said:

similarly "with respect..."  really means "I dont respect you at all"

That's why - and I'm not being funny - the correct phrase is "with all due respect".

Nitefly

Sporky said:

Bygone_Tones said:

similarly "with respect..."  really means "I dont respect you at all"

That's why - and I'm not being funny - the correct phrase is "with all due respect".

Which is to say, not much at all!

Lozboy

Imho its like starting a sentence/comment with "really" .My wife has the whole collection in her vocabulary.

Emp_Fab

english_bob said: I'd always assumed that it was "funny peculiar" rather than "funny ha ha"- "it's not my intention to create an atmosphere- to create unease or give the impression of animosity between us". That sort of thing. 

Oh, I'm fully aware of what the intended meaning of the phrase is, and that it is, as you say, 'funny peculiar', but.... what's the point of it ?  What is the point of prefacing a likely ill-received statement with something to the effect of "It's not my intention to create unease... but..." - if you then go ahead and do exactly that ! ?

It's like saying "It's not my intention to make your balls ache but..." just before hoofing them in the nads.

As a phrase, it's the essence of insincerity.  People who use it think that it's some kind of 'get out of jail free' card you can play before dishing out unwanted advice / questionable comments, when in fact it just makes it worse by effectively saying "I'm an insincere twat who is about to criticise you AND I think you're thick enough to forgive me if I preface it with "I'm not being funny but".

Fucking ridiculous.


CabbageCat said:

Ravenous said:

Does anyone really not know what this means? I would explain this phrase to a foreigner learning English, but I would expect a native to know.

I think you really know that Emp Fab does know exactly what it means and how it is used. He's just dressing misanthropy up as ignorance.

See above.  Perhaps he took my words more literally than I intended.  Actually, I did say "WTF does it mean" when perhaps "What a stupid phrase this is" would have been more fitting.

octatonic

Emp_Fab

I LOVE being angry all the time !!  It's cathartic.



I think my anger is different to many other people's.  I don't feel anger is a negative emotion.  I see it as a fire that burns underneath the locomotive of righteousness.  Don't get me wrong - the use of the word 'righteousness' (why is that so bloody hard to type correctly ?) does not betray a monumental ego - I am frequently wrong and frequently a crass idiot.  However, the world needs people with the gumption to question the things that are wrong, to shout from the rooftops "This is WRONG! - look at what you are doing ! - You must fix this in the name of progress for the human race !".

I haven't advanced yet to the school of actually doing anything about it beyond moaning, but I've made a start.

"I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE (well, I'm going to moan about it on a forum as a starting point)"

octatonic

Emp_Fab said:

I LOVE being angry all the time !!  It's cathartic.

So is having a massive poo- but you don't have to do it in public.

DLM

octatonic said:

Emp_Fab said:

I LOVE being angry all the time !!  It's cathartic.

So is having a massive poo- but you don't have to do it in public.

@holnrew and @funkyfraz are my favourite performance artists in this genre. True masters of expression.

Myranda

Interrupt them.

"I'm not being funny...."

"I'll be the judge of that. Going on previous evidence I am positive you'll be neither funny or interesting. In fact, please contract a flesh eating virus of the vocal chords you tuberculotic puddle of sputum. May you never again waste my time, and may your next shit be a hedgehog. "


Or... ignore them... whichever is easier really. 

Reverend

octatonic said:

Emp_Fab said:

I LOVE being angry all the time !!  It's cathartic.

So is having a massive poo- but you don't have to do it in public.

Speak for yourself...