By pot, meet kettle - 05/04/2013 23:21 - United States - Saint Cloud

Today, I was chatting online with a guy I really like, when he used the word "irregardless." I couldn't help but mention how little sense it makes, since it's a combination of two words meaning roughly the same thing. He replied, "lol what? your stupid." Jesus Christ. FML
I agree, your life sucks 35 969
You deserved it 9 797

Same thing different taste

Top comments

bigdude1302 2

Some people just don't want to admit they're wrong.

Comments

"Would HAVE", Snowkeys. "Idiot would HAVE sufficed".

Shame on me! I'm a huge idiot! I should be hung in time square! Rawww

AurumPotestasEst 16

The word "retard" is not a synonym for stupid... don't use it as such.

Thesaurus.com lists stupid, along with a myriad of other words similar like numbskull, as synonyms for retarded.

Idk why 50 got thumbed down. I completly agree. It seems like since using "gay" as an insult has become more socially unacceptable, people are replacing it with "retarded". Neither is ok...

KY_Jelly 10

Traditionally, retarded was a synonym for slow. Since stupid people are often slow as well, it makes sense. Why don't we just stop using retarded to describe the mentally ill?

57 because they are technically described as being mentally retarded which by the very definition of the word is accurate. Their academic/mental progression is slowed and/or halted.

KY_Jelly 10

58 - Exactly. So why has society decided that retarded is a completely unacceptable way to describe something slow or stupid?

I honestly don't have a good answer for that. I would just guess that it's because of the negative connotation or stigma that has been attached to it. Most people who use the phrase don't use it in the literal sense but rather as an insult implying that being mentally handicapped is so offensive it serves as an appropriate insult towards someone you usually know doesn't really suffer from any actual mental disabilities.

And you must be a complete douche bag. As a sibling of someone with a low IQ in am always baffled at the stupidity and heartless of someone using that word. God willing you will never have to know the heartbreak of a loved one being special

chell1894 13

68- Just because someone has a low IQ does not make them mentally retarded.

#68, language evolves. That's just how it works. Hardly anybody uses the word 'retarded' anymore in its original sense; the DSM now uses the term 'intellectual disability' in place of 'mental retardation'. The word 'retard' is now used for someone who is stupid. Unfortunately its meaning is simply going to change. The word 'dumb' originally meant mute, but now also means someone who is stupid or slow. I have a pretty good idea of how that happened; people for some reason perceive - even if they don't realise it - a mute person as being less capable of understanding speech simply because they can't speak themselves. I experienced this firsthand when I gave up speech for 40 hours as part of the 40 hour famine to raise money. I noticed once I was using a small whiteboard to communicate, my friends all started speaking to me slower, clearer and louder. They didn't even realise they were doing it until I pointed it out. It was a real eye-opener. I'm pretty sure the word 'dumb' took its second meaning (stupid) after the original meaning of mute based on this association, and now the second meaning has almost entirely eradicated the first. Sorry mate, but the word retard is going to mean slow/stupid, and the original meaning will probably disappear. But I don't see much wrong with that as long as the word isn't going to mean both at once. Cool?

A lot of people's emotional and intellectual growth retards during high school.

I do not think it is ok to call an idiot a retard. It is not any more acceptable to call a retard an idiot. Someone who is an idiot has the capability to learn, but for what ever reason has chosen not to, but they are mentally capable if they so choose. A mentally retarded person is someone who has a mental defect of some kind, and there for does not have the mental capacity to learn things after a certain point. I had a cousin with downs syndrome. He did not have the capacity to learn skills beyond making his bed or setting the table. He died at the age of 45 without ever knowing how to do simple math, or even speak in complete sentences. Was he an idiot? No. He was retarded. On the other hand, my sister, who has no mental handicaps, married a man that had already cheated on her once, was an alcoholic, and she was fully aware of those facts before they got married. She has two children with him and he cheated on her twice since they got married, and she has gone back to him twice. She is still currently with him. Now she has no mental defects, and has been exposed to this man's ways time and time again, but still lives with him. Is she retarded? No she is an idiot. It's not ok to interchange those two words.

#101, I'm not sure who you're replying to, but I agree the two words shouldn't be used interchangeably. Thing is the actual meaning of retard is in the process of switching from 'mentally handicapped' to 'stupid' or 'idiot', a process which is near complete now that 'mental retardation' is no longer the correct psychological term to use anymore. So it doesn't really matter. As I said before imagine if everyone started getting mad over the use of the word 'dumb' because of its previous association with mute people. If retard doesn't mean mentally handicapped, why can't it mean stupid?

TheManager 6

23- I'm pretty sure it would be *hanged. I may be wrong.... But I don't think I am haha

Weird, what happened to my example of using the word, retard, as a verb and show how it can actually be applied to the general population?

#115 I'm pretty sure both 'hung' and 'hanged' are correct (when referring to the execution method; you don't say I hanged up the washing :P)

AurumPotestasEst 16

The execution method is just hanged... hung is incorrect.

AurumPotestasEst 16

#62 You hit the nail on the head right there. The reason that the word is shifting to mean "stupid" is because people have been using it as such and the reason people have been using it as such is because it is connected with cognitive disabilities.

#AurumPotestasEst, I said both forms are ok because I'm pretty sure people say 'hung, drawn and quartered' not 'hanged, drawn and quartered', although if it's just a hanging I always hear it as 'hanged' not 'hung'. I may be wrong though. As for the whole 'retarded' debate - yes you're correct that's how the word has evolved (HAS, not IS) to its current meaning, but as I've said before as long as people are only associating the word with 'stupid' and not 'intellectually disabled' when they're saying it, it shouldn't matter. Otherwise, if we were to get all offended every time we heard 'retarded' in its now dominant/current form, to be fair then we'd have to get just as pissed off whenever somebody says the word 'dumb', 'crazy', 'insane', 'lame', etc. Instead of trying to revert the evolution of the word (you're welcome to try), go with it and use 'intellectually disabled' instead of 'mentally retarded' if you want to refer to the clinical definition.

AurumPotestasEst 16

It's the same thing as using the "N-word."

Irregardless of what you all say, this is a funny post. FYL OP!

Some people just don't want to admit they're wrong.

Damian95 16

There are only two infinite things. The universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe.

shortvirgo13 7

Everyone who agrees with OP should classified themselves as ignorant dicks. Irregardless is a word found as early in the English language since 1923. It combines irrespective and regardless. So..... YDI

It's "as early as" or "since". You can't say "as early since". FYI. Also, OP didn't say it wasn't an actual word in the English language, just that it doesn't make much sense, which it doesn't, since bastardizing the two words you said it originated from creates a word that has a double negative in its prefix and suffix.

Idk it could be cause I'm drunk but irregardless is a word of its own not two combined? So using it makes perfect sense? Lol

74, you must be the guy op was talking about.

"Non-standard, slang or colloquial terms used by English speakers are sometimes alleged to not be real words. For instance, despite appearing as a word in numerous dictionaries,[99] "irregardless" is sometimes dismissed as "not a word".[100] All words in English originated by becoming commonly used during a certain time period, thus there are many informal words currently regarded as "incorrect" in formal speech or writing. But the idea that they are somehow not words is a misconception.[101][102][103] Examples of words that are sometimes alleged to be "not a word" include "conversate", "funnest", "mentee", "impactful", and "thusly".[104][105][106] All of these appear in numerous dictionaries as English words." <-- From wiki's page of common misconceptions, in case anyone was interested. I'm not sure if OP actually thought it wasn't a real word or just thought it didn't make sense. Nevertheless, words that make no sense get included into English and slowly replace words before it; that's how language evolves and how it will always evolve. If we went back in time and talked how we do today, they'd all hang shit on us for bastardising their language, lol.

Using the word irregardless sounds at best, redundant or 'not regardless.' This is why English words don't always obey consistent rules, because people bastardize the language nonstop.

tjv3 10

It's you're stupid not your

kyu_Q 19

"The prefix ir- (i-r) is a negative prefix, so if you add the prefix ir to a word that's already negative like regardless, you're making a double-negative word that literally means “without without regard.” Language experts speculate that irregardless comes from a combination of the words regardless and irrespective and that another reason people might say "irregardless" is that they are following the pattern of words like irregular and irreplaceable. But regardless already has the -less suffix on the end, so it's not like those other words. Standard Versus Nonstandard English Now, on to dictionaries. Although it's true that the American Heritage Dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary all list the word irregardless, they also note that it's considered nonstandard. Listing a word as nonstandard is a way that dictionaries concede that a word is in common use, but isn't really a proper word. Standard language is defined as the language spoken by educated native speakers (1), but comprehensive dictionaries also include nonstandard words, dialect, colloquialisms, and jargon--words like ain't, conversate, and irregardless. It seems pretty common for people to look up a word in a dictionary, and if it's there, they think it's fine to use that word every circumstance. It's the "Look, it's a word!" phenomenon. But you have to look a little further to see what kind of word it is, and if it's nonstandard in some way, then use it with caution. You'll sound uneducated if you go around saying things like I ain't gonna conversate with him irregardless of the consequences." I consider irregardless and anyone using irregardless in a sentence sounds dumb to me

kyu_Q 19

That's from Grammar girl online. Incase anyone was interested

While I agree with you for the most part, 135, incorrect words that become used often enough turn into real, standard words. All words we use today were once incorrect and become standard after enough use. If 'irregardless' becomes used enough, it will be included as a standard word eventually. That's just how language works. A lot of words we use today would be incorrect 100 years ago. The word 'cool' to mean awesome or good is pretty recent - came into use 70 years ago. I'm sure it went through phases of slang, to non-standard word, to now recognised standard word. Nomsayin? (<- but that's not a word :P)

stevenJB 25

I wouldn't ever call someone I'm interested in any name of that sort. Sorry op

She's is simply saying, she would never call someone she has feelings for, a mean name. :)

stevenJB 25

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE SEE THE BLUE TRIM ON MY PIC?!?

well, that is a pretty feminine picture you have there.

stevenJB 25

I just think people aren't accustomed to seeing a guy with long hair.

icadragoon 11

I never noticed a colored trim for gender till you mentioned it. It's either new or I'm very unobservant.

97- Either that, or it's genuinely irrelevant and therefore followed by apathy. Seriously though, who cares about some stranger's hair dye?

Iris_River 15

OP didn't call anyone a name. She was called stupid by the guy she was talking to.

bigdude1302 2
theneatoburrito 8

Okay, okay, I know I'm really late to this FML, BUT, 'irregardless', although a double negative, IS in fact a word. It means "without, without regard", meaning "with regard." So, technically OP, irregardless isn't the same thing as regardless, and is an actual word. Even though I do doubt that your little lover knew that.

rabidpeach 5

dbl ngtive is non stndrd englsh. wkpdia says dctnary usully marks this as incorrect or deprecated. seriously though i thought i could do without vowls

You want to mate with an intelligent person, anyways. That is obviously not him.

He changed it after I replied. It was "Thad"

perdix 29

#6, I'm not so sure. Having a genius baby can be quite challenging. Idiot kids are easier to keep occupied -- any crap on TV will keep them stupefied for hours. Smart kids will ask the "why" questions until your head explodes. Think about it and be careful what you wish for.

But at least smart children would make for better generations to come..

Irregardless is a real word and we have no prof he used it improperly, and even if he did that doesn't make him stupid. Hell a lot of kids probably don't even know what it means now a days

Technically OP didn't say it was not a word, or that he used it incorrectly, they said the word doesn't make sense.

BlitheNightmare 7

I have noticed that people are irrespective of irregardless regardlessly.

Wow what you said is so smart... I instantly felt attracted to you!

\ 28

Call the Grammar Gestapo; you've found a defector.

Bobskittens1 12

Op put "your" instead of you're*. She has no room to talk.

110- No, dumbass. That was the guy's reply to OP. She quoted it. It was online, rather than verbal, that's how she knew which form of you're/your he used. Read the FML.

Note the quotations. He's definitely the dumber one.

StarThrower 17

The good news is that now you know not to waste your time. The bad news is that romantic disappointments only get worse from there on.

Even though I'm sure they meant "you're".

StarThrower 17

It's not the "your" part, it's the calling her stupid part. That wasn't very nice at all.

I hate it when people think you're being an idiot but you're in the right. Especially over vocabulary. *pet hate*