A really spectacular story goes online and there are many comments that show much thought by the reader, and then someone posts “I have no words.”
And that’s all they post: “I have no words.” Nothing more.
So here we have this incredible story (either really good news or very awful news), and all these readers are posting all sorts of thoughts, theories, conjecture, similar things that have happened to them, etc., etc.
And then we come upon that utterly annoying comment, “I have no words.”
Get off the comments board; you’ve contributed zero.
How can anyone have no words (which translates to no thoughts)?
I completely understand that “I have no words” is a figure of speech to show sheer disbelief over an event. Yes, I get that.
But in that context, it’s usually followed up by more words. For example, someone posts,
I have no words! This woman is completely out of her mind if she’s going to blame the film director on her drug addiction! She chose to try coke! He didn’t force her! Then she crashes her car, kills a child and is suing HIM for blame? Like I said, no words!
But when ALL you post is “I have no words,” then people think you have no brains, either.
Now you might be thinking that these lame posts are made because dozens of other comments cover everything the “no words” poster might want to say.
But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes I’ll see those lame four words as the seventh or eighth comment, when there is still plenty to say that already hasn’t been said.
And sometimes the story is just so riveting that every new thought-laced comment would be welcome to read by visitors to the site.
Though many visitors who post “I have no words” are not identifiable by their screen name, and hence, escape embarrassment by such a feeble post, I have to believe that IN PERSON they do the same thing.
For instance when in a company meeting, they just sit there like a bump on a log, contributing absolutely nothing.
As for online comments, what about those who choose not to post anything at all? Are they, too, brainless?
Of course not! But if you’re going to make the decision to add a comment, then why not put a little thought behind it instead of sounding like a cliché with “I have no words”?