Am I the only one...

[SciMal]

Seriously, this disease of pedantry and sheer arrogance has been floating around these boards ever since that stupid comic came out, and I am sick and tired of it. You are not clever, you're taking a figurative phrase and turning it literal just so you can find something to make fun of someone for.

Discussion: Why is it so acceptable on these boards to willfully misunderstand a phrase for the sole purpose of having a wank at how smart you think you are?

It was never a witty phrase to begin with. First off, it's a Yes or No answer - whenever anybody says "No" they are answering the question. It's only implied that you should elaborate and either agree or disagree with the impetus the question posed. Secondly, it's ALWAYS sarcastic precisely for the very reason it's criticized. No, you are never, ever going to be the only one of anything unless you count ground-breaking achievements (which will soon be followed by other people topping them).

It's attention-whoring, and in one of the worst possible ways - by pretending not to be an attention whore. Particularly in the age of the internet when you can probably Google shit you've never, ever thought of and find people doing it.

"Am I the only one who uses cheese as a masturbation aid?" I just made that up, and fuck me if there isn't already an Urban Dictionary term encompassing the entire act - in a rueful manner, no less: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stolen%20cheese

I don't reward attention whores who can't admit to being an attention whore. It's dishonest for both sides involved, and I will freely reply to their idiotic question with as sarcastic a reply as I want.

If you want to know if other people share the same passion, just ask. There's no need to be a dick about it unless you're young when you may not actually know if there are other people who also play Magic: The Gathering at your school.

 

[JimB]

Why is it so acceptable on these boards to willfully misunderstand a phrase for the sole purpose of having a wank at how smart you think you are?

I'm okay with it just because "am I the only one who" is a question that is generally less interested in an answer than in validation, and making fun of that in such a basically harmless way might teach the guy a lesson about the value of being assertive.

 

[dstryfe]

This is some meta shit going on right here

Is meta shit the kind of shit where you're taking a shit while narrating a story where you took a shit yesterday?

When I read the phrase 'meta shit,' I immediately thought of someone making their character go take a shit...because they were.

Why is it so acceptable on these boards to willfully misunderstand a phrase for the sole purpose of having a wank at how smart you think you are?

I believe that it's simply because you've found a target who has presented themselves so very well.

 

[Launcelot111]

It's a construct to invite people to sympathize and agree with your opinion, thus sparking conversation, or am I the only one that thinks that people who say "am I the only one?" don't actually think they are the only one?

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

(Not so) Surprisingly, this thread has occurred multiple times before. There's even been response threads to this kind of thread. And you know what?

The phrase is still fucking annoying.

 

[Guffe]

Of course people will always wonder about this question.
in 99.9% of the time the answer is "no" but maybe someday, we'll have that "yes".

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

It's a lazy way of constructing a conversation topic.

You are pointing out that it's a figure of speech, but then all your examples are metaphoric phrases, where as the one in question is just attenion seeking, and not well thought out.

'Am I the only one who thought the ending to was shit?' would be much better phrased as 'I saw the end of last night and was dissapointed' then using the OP as a way to say why and posing the 'what do you think' way of opening the discussion.

The other issue I have with it as a phrase is that I have never heard anyone say it.... Literally cannot think of a time where I have! Imagine you are standing in your favourite pub with friends, and out of the blue another mate pops over and opens with 'Am I the only one who thinks Stella is overpriced?' It's a terrible conversation starter, because as it was pointed out before, it is a closed question... it doesn't invite thought to the answers and only seeks clarification.

I don't expect people to use perfect english online, hell I know I don't, but I do expect a bit more thought gone into a conversation topic!

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Yes, it is rather pedantic.

Mmmmm. Yes. Most pedantic.

I would consider it rather shallow as well.

[image/]http://www.nationmaster.com/wikimir/images/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Peter_rejecting_meatloaf.JPG[/IMG]

OT: Yeah, I'm sick of the bitching, but on the other hand, it's pretty annoying when people say it as it's their entire question, which anyone can instantly answer with "NO".

 

[RedDeadFred]

I actually saw someone reply like this to a thread earlier today. I can't remember what the thread was but the person's answer was: No you're not the only one. Maybe you should rethink your question.

That was their entire contribution to the thread. Yes it would be nice if the OP didn't start the thread with an overused figure of speech but if your only contribution is just to make yourself seem superior to another person, you are a massive asshole.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

Yeah, same here. I does seem like an asshole-ish response. The phrase is more of a confirmation than literal. It's less that they think they're really the only one in the world and more that they're just looking for other people's opinions on the subject and seeing if there's people who agree with their view. It's a cheap way to spark some discussion, but there's no need to be a smart ass about it.

Granted, I don't find that phrase nearly as annoying as everyone else seems to.

 

[Yopaz]

Both are overused in my opinion. Am I the only one is slightly more annoying because it's been said more, but the overreaction is getting tired too.

You are never the only one, but that doesn't mean we should get rude when we point that out. You might feel like you're the only one, but you can voice your question differently. However this is the internet we do overreact and we do use clichéd thread titles. Moving on.

 

[Twilight_guy]

People are the internet are assholes. It happens as a result of anonymity, or rather not being directly held responsible for your actions. Unfortunately, if your not going to be punished for it, people tend to do asshole things without restraining themselves. Being a dick and pedantic is one of the things people will do without a second though if nobody is going to call them out for it. same thing happens with people saying 'literally' inappropriately or correctly 'then' and 'than' and small lapses in grammar like that. When someone isn't going to put you down for repeatedly being annoying and pointing this out, people say whatever they want without filtering and this kind of stuff bugs some people.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

This "am I the only one" stuff can be pretty funny, as long as it is followed by one of the most detailed descriptions of depravity, sexual perversion and general vileness.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Snip

You are the only one to figure that out.

No really, you are.

Your the only human on this planet, the people you know are just symbiotic insect creatures all pretending to be human just to trick you. Yes, even your real parents, they were replaced years ago by members of the hive mind.

Your the only true individual left on the planet, the rest of the world has burned, and you never noticed.

Sweet dreams, tonight will be your last.

 

[Blunderboy]

Yup, it's just a figure of speech, we need not get worked up about it. However, it does irritate me when people use it so incredulously. Are you honestly that surprised that you're not the only person who dislikes Pulp Fiction?

This.
The phrase would be fine if people used it for something that could possibly only apply to them. For example;
"Am I the only one who thinks Hitler was right?"
"Am I the only one that thinks the Sun is actually a giant hamster powered by happiness and peas?"

But people use it for things that are obviously widely held opinions like "Am I the only one who thinks Earl Grey sucks balls?"

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

No one is ever the only one.

You can take some of the most bizarre things you can think of and chances are there is at least 1 other person who likes it too.

 

[smithy_2045]

I am the only one.

 

[Rawne1980]

Realizing it's virtually impossible for it to "rain cats and dogs?"

Silly Lilani.

You know it rains cats and dogs when you go outside and step in a poodle .... budum tish no autographs folks.

 

[Beryl77]

I'm sick and tired of people chastising other people who are chastising other people for saying "Am I the only one?"