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The Humble-Brag


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VERB

humble-brag (verb)

make an ostensibly modest or self-deprecating statement with the actual intention of drawing attention to something of which one is proud:

"she humblebragged about how “awful” she looks without any makeup" ·

 

:laugh:

It's a great word. I'm so glad it's come to my attention. This is what makes social media so unbearable. And now there's a word for it. :bunny:

 

I find FB useful being so cut off from so many out here where I live but at the same time detest it, esp. during the holidays. Feeling like plastering my timeline with "Humble brag" definitions so people get the hint.

 

People have got to stop this. When I was growing up the kind of shameless bragging that goes on nowadays was seen as impolite, insensitive to others or just downright obnoxious. My parents would never have engaged in it and taught us to be respectful and sensitive toward other people's feelings.

 

This has got to stop. It doesn't fool anyone and may be secretly making you 'frenemies'.

 

Humble-brag... think before you do it.

 

Thoughts anyone?

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No bites? Well, just a thought. Perhaps we should all make 2018 about being less self absorbed.

 

Let's start thinking of the people we may have hiding on your social media accounts who don't have a family while we're shouting from the rooftops about how wonderful our own families are... really, do we have to keep shouting about how much we love our kids? Everyone assumes this is true anyway.

 

And how about the vacations we've taken and all the photos we're flashing of our tropical island paradise when there are others who can barely afford to put food on the table let alone go twice a year to Jamaica, or build cabins at the lake...

 

How about reaching out to each other instead of using social media solely as a platform to blow our own horns and glorify ourselves and to glorify how 'busy' we are... oh, no one has ever been busy before... :rolleyes:

 

How about we stop taking so many selfies and expecting others to admire us... constantly.

 

And maybe that pic of our big Christmas meals or being shown to someone who is alone and didn't get one?

 

Or maybe bragging about our wonderful spouses is akin to rubbing it in the face of someone who isn't or perhaps has never known love?

 

In short, how about making 2018 about being better people?

 

Before you suggest these people just stay off fb... maybe it's a connection they need and would appreciate if not for being subjected to so much selfishness. It's not for us to insult them by basically saying, well if you don't like it ... eff off, then. Why can't we all stop being so selfish?

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CautiouslyOptimistic

I think you're not getting bites because it's already a well known "thing." This and what I refer to as "vague booking" are equally annoying. It is what it is though; we can't control what other people do, but we can limit our exposure to it.

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LivingWaterPlease
I think you're not getting bites because it's already a well known "thing." This and what I refer to as "vague booking" are equally annoying. It is what it is though; we can't control what other people do, but we can limit our exposure to it.

 

What is vague booking, CO?

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No bites? Well, just a thought. Perhaps we should all make 2018 about being less self absorbed.

 

Let's start thinking of the people we may have hiding on your social media accounts who don't have a family while we're shouting from the rooftops about how wonderful our own families are... really, do we have to keep shouting about how much we love our kids? Everyone assumes this is true anyway.

 

And how about the vacations we've taken and all the photos we're flashing of our tropical island paradise when there are others who can barely afford to put food on the table let alone go twice a year to Jamaica, or build cabins at the lake...

 

How about reaching out to each other instead of using social media solely as a platform to blow our own horns and glorify ourselves and to glorify how 'busy' we are... oh, no one has ever been busy before... :rolleyes:

 

How about we stop taking so many selfies and expecting others to admire us... constantly.

 

And maybe that pic of our big Christmas meals or being shown to someone who is alone and didn't get one?

 

Or maybe bragging about our wonderful spouses is akin to rubbing it in the face of someone who isn't or perhaps has never known love?

 

In short, how about making 2018 about being better people?

 

Before you suggest these people just stay off fb... maybe it's a connection they need and would appreciate if not for being subjected to so much selfishness. It's not for us to insult them by basically saying, well if you don't like it ... eff off, then. Why can't we all stop being so selfish?

 

None of this is 'humble bragging'. Everything you've just described here is about being happy with our lives and sharing it. I just love to hear the great news that my friends share and I hope that they don't stop.

 

I love to hear that someone's kid got a great award. I love to see the selfie of someone who's really happy with who they are at present. I love experience through photos somebody's holiday. I love the oversharing of a new mother who's in love with her child.

 

In short, I enjoy experiencing someone else's joy. I'd much prefer that to being bitter about all the nice things in people's lives. If a person doesn't want to know about the good stuff in other people's lives, then they may as well just eff off.

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What is vague booking, CO?

 

It's when someone shares a feeling without writing the cause. For example "feeling so crap today" or "someone in my circle is not a nice person". I guess the idea is that they want everyone to reach out with "what's wrong?"

 

I ignore those posts.

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Most of the bragging I see on social media is not exactly humble. A picture of the new BMW, the beach body after losing weight, or I have seen people take a picture of the bill after they spent $700 on dinner.

 

This, and the onslaught of half-baked political views, combined with clickbait, strange animal videos, constant whining or just plain trivial information are the reason I largely abstain from social media.

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CautiouslyOptimistic
What is vague booking, CO?

 

I have a friend who posted last week "Something AMAZING is happening!!!!" and several comments later asking her what it was, and she still wouldn't say....said she can't "let the cat out of the bag just yet." :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

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CautiouslyOptimistic
Most of the bragging I see on social media is not exactly humble. A picture of the new BMW, the beach body after losing weight, or I have seen people take a picture of the bill after they spent $700 on dinner.

 

This, and the onslaught of half-baked political views, combined with clickbait, strange animal videos, constant whining or just plain trivial information are the reason I largely abstain from social media.

 

Exactly. I see more humble bragging on LS than I do on social media :lmao:. Particularly when someone posts a long drawn out detailed description of sexual escapades and then adds a small request for "advice" somewhere in there ;).

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Looking at the sample statement in the OP, I'd opine humble-brag if the person making the statement was obviously someone whose profession was their image and their image was widely popular and sought after and, essentially, such commentary was an expression of false modesty.

 

I remember a line from Notting Hill where Julia Robert's character comments on fame 'not being real'. Of course it's real, one experiences it and it is their reality for as long as it lasts, no different from being socially invisible, as most famous people have also been. A different way of looking at it could be 'It's mostly a wonderful experience but I know it can change or end at any time'. Or a wealthy person commenting that the problems are the same but the numbers are merely different, totally discounting all the advantages of being wealthy. A less humble-brag comment could be 'yes, we all have problems and I feel very fortunate'.

 

I generally don't analyze comments in everyday life, rather gain an overall aura of people I interact with and make choices regarding socializing or partner selection based on that 'feel'. Perfect? Nah, nothing is perfect. Could've been wrong many times in life. I'm good with that.

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None of this is 'humble bragging'. Everything you've just described here is about being happy with our lives and sharing it. I just love to hear the great news that my friends share and I hope that they don't stop.

 

I love to hear that someone's kid got a great award. I love to see the selfie of someone who's really happy with who they are at present. I love experience through photos somebody's holiday. I love the oversharing of a new mother who's in love with her child.

 

In short, I enjoy experiencing someone else's joy. I'd much prefer that to being bitter about all the nice things in people's lives. If a person doesn't want to know about the good stuff in other people's lives, then they may as well just eff off.

 

I agree with everything you’ve said.

 

What the OP may be referring to (in addition to what you said), are those people who aren’t just sharing but being obnoxious. For example, I have a friend whose every post must highlight how wealthy her husband is and/or how expensive their trip/hotel/car/etc was. It’s actually become comical to me that as soon as I see she’s posted, I look for the “brag.” :laugh: A few years ago, we went on a nice vacation and stayed at a modest hotel. When touring the city, we took a picture in front of a very famous and ridiculously lavish hotel and posted it on FB. When I saw she made a comment immediately, I just KNEW. Lol. Sure enough, she said “I love staying at that hotel every time I visit {that city}!” :rolleyes: These are the people that could easily annoy me if I allowed it (but I don’t).

 

For the most part, I just scroll past posts I don’t want to see. Not my business.

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Exactly. I see more humble bragging on LS than I do on social media :lmao:. Particularly when someone posts a long drawn out detailed description of sexual escapades and then adds a small request for "advice" somewhere in there ;).

 

 

 

The one that always makes me laugh is any thread about penis size on here is littered with guys saying things like, "Huh, never though of myself as really big :o" or "wow, good to know I am above average!" or some such nonsense. It bothers us guys that are truly above average.

 

 

To the issue of humble-bragging or attention-seeking, it used to bother me more but I figure generally many people are lonely, insecure, longing for validation...and it's ok. If a friend is lonely and posts something for attention, I don't mind giving a little attention or validation. I have one friend/family member on FB that posts the daily cryptic things like, "Oh my gosh, will it ever get better" ... but she never reveals what she is referring to. She is a nice person, I figure if I respond something like, "hope things get better soon", it's no skin off my nose and maybe the attention makes her feel good or that someone cares.

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What_Did_I_Do

One FB user's posts were always and only:

 

- My son scored the most goals at his hockey game

- Look at the salad I made

- I bake so many Christmas cookies for everyone

- My co-workers bought specially labelled wine for my birthday

- I have a cold/flu/headache

 

Humble-bragging indeed. Who cares??

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People come up with the craziest words is all I can say. Put a hyphen in it, and you can make up any word you want.

 

Humble-brag is a mixed bag to me. Depending on who and how, it can be cute, you see. Too bad most make it more annoying, and that is sad.

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None of this is 'humble bragging'. Everything you've just described here is about being happy with our lives and sharing it. I just love to hear the great news that my friends share and I hope that they don't stop.

 

I love to hear that someone's kid got a great award. I love to see the selfie of someone who's really happy with who they are at present. I love experience through photos somebody's holiday. I love the oversharing of a new mother who's in love with her child.

 

In short, I enjoy experiencing someone else's joy. I'd much prefer that to being bitter about all the nice things in people's lives. If a person doesn't want to know about the good stuff in other people's lives, then they may as well just eff off.

 

There's a difference between sharing some good news SOME TIMES and spending every hour, every minute, every day humblebragging about everything.

 

If you're not doing this, you may not be empathic anyway, but it probably means you don't need attention, are confident, and it probably means you really are happy with your life.

 

Social media is never been used for anything but attention seeking.. just getting way over the top lately I've noticed. I find it very ugly.

 

There are only a few people on my friends list I follow, now. I've blocked half the countryside.

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CautiouslyOptimistic
There's a difference between sharing some good news SOME TIMES and spending every hour, every minute, every day humblebragging about everything.

 

If you're not doing this, you may not be empathic anyway, but it probably means you don't need attention, are confident, and it probably means you really are happy with your life.

 

Social media is never been used for anything but attention seeking.. just getting way over the top lately I've noticed. I find it very ugly.

 

There are only a few people on my friends list I follow, now. I've blocked half the countryside.

 

That's not humble bragging, though. It's just outright bragging :lmao:.

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That's not humble bragging, though. It's just outright bragging :lmao:.

 

My news feed is littered with people who are so BLESSED they have such great families and BLESSED to have such a GREAT husband. Of course it's outright bragging, but they're trying to cloak in by trying to sound so humbly blessed. Like I said, it doesn't fool anyone.

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That's not humble bragging, though. It's just outright bragging :lmao:.

 

Yeah, a humble brag is more like seeking advice because it is so hard to find a good Maserati mechanic these days. (They just aren't half as good as they used to be.)

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My news feed is littered with people who are so BLESSED they have such great families and BLESSED to have such a GREAT husband. Of course it's outright bragging, but they're trying to cloak in by trying to sound so humbly blessed. Like I said, it doesn't fool anyone.

 

Bless their evil little hearts! :p

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The one that always makes me laugh is any thread about penis size on here is littered with guys saying things like, "Huh, never though of myself as really big :o" or "wow, good to know I am above average!" or some such nonsense. It bothers us guys that are truly above average.

 

 

To the issue of humble-bragging or attention-seeking, it used to bother me more but I figure generally many people are lonely, insecure, longing for validation...and it's ok. If a friend is lonely and posts something for attention, I don't mind giving a little attention or validation. I have one friend/family member on FB that posts the daily cryptic things like, "Oh my gosh, will it ever get better" ... but she never reveals what she is referring to. She is a nice person, I figure if I respond something like, "hope things get better soon", it's no skin off my nose and maybe the attention makes her feel good or that someone cares.

 

Sometimes people really are going through tough times and social media is the only way they have to reach out to people. MOST people will ignore them however, dissing THEM as the attention seekers while continuing to be the cheerleaders for all the read, shameless braggarts.... like themselves.

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CautiouslyOptimistic
Yeah, a humble brag is more like seeking advice because it is so hard to find a good Maserati mechanic these days. (They just aren't half as good as they used to be.)

 

Haha, right!

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Or hey don't want to reach out to those in need because they're afraid they'll be asked to GIVE something. Heaven forbid!!

 

Part of the problem is that everyone thinks all this me, me, me selfishness is okay!

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CautiouslyOptimistic
Or hey don't want to reach out to those in need because they're afraid they'll be asked to GIVE something. Heaven forbid!!

 

Part of the problem is that everyone thinks all this me, me, me selfishness is okay!

 

You seem to have an abysmal view of your fellow man. Why is that?

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