I've never come out and said it, but as Internet abbreviations go, IMHO really sticks in my craw.
It's useful, certainly. While pretty much everything on this here electronic garbage-chute is opinion, it's nice (and polite) to point it out every now and then.
But I don't think it's particularly humble. And by explicitly saying it's humble... well, it feels even less humble, if that makes any sense. The humble seems to draw attention to itself, like obsequious groveling. Every time I see it—that dreaded H—I think, "Did I suddenly get minions? Cool beans! Do my dishes, Lackey!" You all might just see an H, but I see a studded dog collar and ball gag.
This is probably just me. But I really do think you're entitled to your opinion, and there's no reason to be humble about it. But probably people see my "IMO," conspicuously lacking the H, and exclaim, "Who does he think he is? His opinion is humble, and I must crush him until he knows it as such."
Maybe I've read too many comics with Doctor Doom in them.
Rob
(Seriously. Do my dishes.)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
In My (Humble?) Opinion
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7 comments:
I always viewed the "humble" as tongue- in cheek.
Whose tongue? Whose cheek?
I think it was C.S. Lewis who pointed out, and I paraphrase, that humility is one of those things that as soon as you realize that you have it, it's instantly gone.
That's *exactly* the way I feel.
I think this was either Gandhi or Mother Theresa:
"Do not aspire to humility; you are not that great."
Or words to that effect.
Myself, in online acronymic parlance, I prefer the more open and honest AYWSIWYSSUESFDRISWILOMWEM, for As You Would See It Were You Sharing The Same Unique, Entirely Subjective and, Frankly, Distorted Reality I See When I Look Out My Window Every Morning. That's just too damn long to bother typing, though, so I'll usually skip the whole business and assume that people know that my opinions are, for the most part, my own.
As for doing Rob's dishes... BMSMA!
IMHO - In My Honest Opinion.
Never thought of it as Humble.
Cuz I'm not.
Honesty? On the Internet?
There's a thought.
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