Just Sayin'

I suppose the phrase has been around as long as I can remember, but its prominence, as with most things, is getting more annoying as it permeates Twitter and Facebook. The phrase: “Just sayin’.”

Typically, a person would use this phrase to take some of the sting out of an otherwise moderately blunt comment. For instance, someone who wants to comment on an issue but is too afraid to take a stance will say something snarky, then close with “just sayin’” (or the more offensive #justsayin). The people doing this think it’s a way to make a point without having to back it up, because they are just sayin’.

So, what does “just sayin’” mean? In the context of today’s language, it means someone is merely saying something for no reason at all.

“I’m just saying something,” I say.

“Why?” you say.

“No reason. I’m just saying something.”

Therein lies the counterpoint to this hideous trend: if you truly are just sayin’, you shouldn’t be trying to make points. Taking it further, you shouldn’t even be talking. If you really are saying something just for the sake of saying something, you need to shut your mouth, you egomaniac.

By telling everyone which political candidate you hate, then adding “just sayin’,” you are showing yourself to the world as a lying coward. You’re lying because you’re not “just sayin’” and you’re a coward because you won’t stand behind your comment.

I understand this phrase is a nuance for some—that is, they realize they’re not just sayin’, and that’s part of the humor. The problem, of course, is it’s not funny. It’s stupid, and I’m not just saying that. If you have a comment to make, make it. You are saying it because you believe it, no matter how mundane it may be. “I love cookies” is far better than “I love cookies lol haha jk no really #justsayin.”

To illustrate this using real life, I searched Twitter for “just sayin’” and came across plenty of options. Someone wrote, “For parents like me who work from home, the first day of school is kind of like your loud chatty office mate getting fired. Just sayin’.”

Some people might find that statement profound or even humorous. Now, read it again without the last sentence: “For parents like me who work from home, the first day of school is kind of like your loud chatty office mate getting fired.”

Much better. Now, if that fits your sense of humor, it’s a legitimately funny comment. Why would anyone need to qualify that statement with “just sayin’?” That horrendous phrase makes the statement worse, less impactful and, potentially, vomit-inducing. This person was not just sayin’. If she were, she would not have been so specific about the comparison of her children to an annoying workmate. She would’ve said something more like “apple floor boat under.” That, legitimately, would be an instance of just sayin’.

My goal with this drivel is to point out the absurdity of just sayin’ as well as use the phrase so often it will become meaningless to all who read it. I’m fine with language evolving (as a concept), but there are certain words and phrases that do not have any business anywhere near us at any time, “just sayin’” being one of them. And while it seems apt, I’m not going to end this rant with “just sayin’,” because I am not just sayin’. I mean all of this, and I stand by it.

Please do the same.