"Actually" wasn't a dirty word until the Internet came along. Then jerks turned it into a bad word by constantly using it to point out every slight error or imagined error.
After years of this on social media and such it's gotten to be pretty tiring. I suppose I'm as guilty of it as anyone. Though sometimes I do it ironically. Still, it can get to be a bit much sometimes, to where just the implied "actually" irks me.
Like a couple of recent things on Facebook.
When Bernie Sanders endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan governor I commented that it was a waste of time because there was no way a Muslim was going to win in Michigan. (And I was right.) To which someone made the bewildering comment: "Egyptian."
Um, so what if he's Egyptian? I didn't say anything about where he was from. Or maybe you think there aren't Muslims in Egypt? (Which would be decidedly untrue.) So, WTF? You're Actually-ing me over something I didn't even say? Gah!
Another even more innocuous comment was a radio station was asking on Facebook about some of the best sad songs. And I said, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor. To which some ass says, "[Actually] Prince wrote that."
So the fuck what!? I didn't say who wrote the fucking song. I was just referencing that version of the song. What the hell difference does it make who wrote the fucking thing? I mean, can't I just mention a goddamned song without some fucking know-it-all trying to bring me down and make herself look smart!? GAAAAAH!
But one of the DJs for the station agreed with me, so suck it wanna-be know-it-all.
Another case on Facebook: on an article about 3D printed guns I just said it seems like the Secret Service wouldn't want people able to have untraceable guns like this. And this dork says, "Actually if it has a piece of metal in it then it's legal." Um, so what? I didn't say anything about legality. So what are you actually-ing me for? Again, not even something I said.
On Critique Circle someone used the word "gypped" in a post. Then this other posters says, [Actually] that's a racial slur against Gypsies. Um, really? First of all, it's obvious from the context of the sentence the original person wasn't using it as a slur against Gypsies. Second, looking it up on dictionary.com it said that while it might have been based on the word "Gypsies," gypped hasn't ever been used as a racial slur. I suppose you could make the case it's like calling someone an "Indian giver" but really in the context there was no insult intended. But instead of just letting it slide, this person (who is not a Gypsy) has to get anal retentive about it. Maybe it was the same person who also complained that "spaz" is a slur against spastic people. Again, I've never seen or heard that use of it. I mean, honestly, words change meaning all the time. Words like fuck, faggot, and gay used to mean completely different things than they do now.
It's like these people are so addicted to trying to show how smart they are that they just jump on anything whether it makes sense or not or whether something needs said or not.
Really though is there anywhere on the Internet that's safe from this shit? Where you can say stuff without someone correcting your spelling or saying, Aaaaactually...?
Aaaaactually, I don't think there is. I might have to just go off the grid soon.
1 comment:
It sounds like some people are training to go on Jeopardy since they actually know all this trivia. :)
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