At least twice a day you will hear someone say, “That’s what she said!” I am not a fan of it, to say the least. Maybe I feel so strongly about this because I am usually the one saying these “sexual-sounding” phrases, but I want to see if I can put an end to all of this unnecessary humor.
The “that’s what she said” craze was orignated from the “Wayne’s World” sketches on “Saturday Night Live” and made popular by the NBC show “The Office.” Michael Scott, played by actor/comedian Steve Carell, started it all.
When I first heard the joke used, I will admit that I laughed. When I heard it for the 1,000th time, I did not laugh. What’s the point of including a sexual innuendo in a conversation? All it does is waste my time.
I’ll ask a simple question like, “How do you screw this thing in?” Instead of an answer, all I get is fingers pointing and people laughing at me – and my problem remains unfixed.
Sure, it may add a little humor to a conversation for most people. When it is used correctly, the people around laughing get the urge to use it themselves. So pretty much anything they hear in the next minute, they will say, “That’s what she said,” whether it made sense or not.
“That’s what she said!” jokes lead to procrastination, and wasted time – like Facebook (but that’s a whole different topic in itself). In the amount of time I have wasted listening to these pointless jokes, I could have written my English paper due this Friday. Seriously, the next time I hear someone say those four evil words, I am just going to start writing my paper.
For the people who think you are funny when you use it: you are so wrong! “That’s what she said” can be used in almost any conversation. In general, jokes are funny when they are heard for the first time, and they get worse and worse the more they are used.
In this case, almost every day people are thinking of new ways to use this phrase. Eventually, every sentence you say will be deemed “sexually inappropriate” by the “comedians” who use this terrible joke.
It doesn’t always have to be “that’s what she said” either. Sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be spoken to induce laughter – it is just implied. First semester, I was asking my two roommates if they had “a big and long piece of wood.” They immediately burst into amusement. I needed the wood to make a shelf for my printer. I am now using my media studies textbook to hold the printer – still looking for a sturdy piece of wood!
The next time you hear someone getting made fun of for saying something “sexually inappropriate,” don’t just watch them suffer the embarrassment. Stand up for them, and help me put an end to this grotesque way of thinking.
I didn’t think this would be so long – that’s not what she said!
