The Hidden Rules of Conversation

Gricean Maxims are a vital part of how we understand each other: a set of... well, maybe "rules" is a bit strong. They're guidelines that we follow without realising it. And it's the reason that "asbestos-free cereal" sounds suspicious.
Written with Molly Ruhl and Gretchen McCulloch. Gretchen's podcast Lingthusiasm is at lingthusiasm.com/
Gretchen's book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
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🇬🇧 UK: amzn.to/31K8eRD
(Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)
Graphics by William Marler: wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther: haerther.net
REFERENCES:
Munroe, R. (2009). "Free". xkcd.com/641/
Grice, H.P. (1975). "Logic and Conversation," Syntax and Semantics, vol.3 edited by P. Cole and J. Morgan, Academic Press. Reprinted as ch.2 of Grice 1989, 22-40.
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
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[@TomScottGo]

Please keep all vegan jokes in this thread. Or, preferably, inside your own head.

[@spywalkz1]

Hello Tom wait why is this posted a week ago? me: *visible confusion*

[@jyedurnan4793]

Tom Scott 1 week ago message on a just uploaded video 🤔

[@yousefnashwan3366]

Oh my god, 1 week ago?

[@brandonfitzgerald8705]

I refuse to accept the rights or independence of the vegan rebels.

[@magnusnate6099]

meat

[@johnchessant3012]

The 3 unwritten rules of conversation: 1. 2. 3.

[@hieutranminh3277]

This is underrated

[@officialSgtPepperArc360]

Uh.

[@NotASpyReally]

I laughed a lot louder than I should have

[@lukestevens6783]

I read this out and realised they are also the three unspoken rules

[@NotASpyReally]

@@lukestevens6783 Why did it take me a minute to understand im so dumb

[@plasmodesmatra]

"I'm out of petrol" "That's good, it probably wasn't safe to be in it"

[@user-he4ef9br7z]

Damn that took almost 5 seconds to hit me

[@AkaiAzul]

"I suspect we will be igniting the midnight petroleum." ~Commander Data when attempting to rehearse the phrase 'burning the midnight oil.'

[@dontreadthispleaseibegyou]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@v2thyl153]

@@randomperson1934 Step 2. Wait for it to rain

[@aqueercommunist]

@UberKrassMann the climate crisis is already happening and ppl likely wont run out of petrol until after the 99% is dead

[@johnalock1201]

"I need some milk" "There's a shop down the street" "Does it sell milk?" "No."

[@chaoticstarfish3401]

I actually do this a lot

[@munjee2]

@@chaoticstarfish3401 have you considered the Japanese art of seppuku

[@JudyBabajie]

That's why dad never came back home 🥺💔

[@namAehT]

It seems like when you break these rules there's a very good chance you come off as sounding super sarcastic.

[@leftysheppey]

@@namAehT yes, it's great

[@Freeman4815]

Employer: what is your main flaw Candidate: I correctly interpret the semantics of the questions, but I ignore their essence. Employer: could you give an example Candidate: I could

[@Undesignedd]

But technically answer included the essence.

[@issaach]

I want to hear about you work experience. That's interesting

[@ekathe85]

Employer: What is your main flaw? Candidate: I always tell the truth. Employer: I don't think that's a flaw Candidate: I don't care what you think

[@nicholassingleton6488]

@@issaach "I figured you would, as that would be a wise way to gauge how I might work here"

[@alfiemcfarland2932]

Can you keep a secret?

[@kitchensinkchronicles3272]

during this all i could think of was “hi, my name is micheal with a b, and i’ve been afraid of insects my whole life” “stop stop stop, where?” “where what?” “where’s the b?” *”t h e r e ‘ s a b e e ?”*

[@Cobalt985]

Oh my god this is actually a great example

[@asticlol]

This hurts my brain

[@adammichna5175]

Oh, you made my day!

[@disklamer]

Bichael - Bike, for short.

[@Halo_Legend]

micheal...?

[@RealLuckless]

"I'm out of petrol" "There's a garage down the road" "Excellent, I'll go refill my flamethrower and carry on the chaos from there..."

[@hop-skip-ouch8798]

"But, that thing......"

[@catattack885]

@@hop-skip-ouch8798 ''It scares me...''

[@danielf3623]

Yes, unexpected methods of flouting Grice's Maxims are the basis of most jokes.

[@expfcwintergreenv2.02]

Daniel F I’m never going to laugh again, thanks for that

[@1Kapuchu100]

"HMMHPPHHH!"

[@kamikazesenpai21]

As a person who is not a serial killer, I find this video interesting

[@JoseFernandez-zi8qg]

*yet

[@giftofthewild6665]

As a person, I find this interesting.

[@olegmoki]

I find this

[@Artist_Dakota]

I find

[@bnuuy2]

interesting

[@markphan179]

Morbius is truly one of the movies of all time. The script was written, the actors acted and the graphics was animated.

[@oz_jones]

And it was shown on theaters

[@youtubebannedme]

​@@oz_jones *and it was shown

[@californiaplant-basedeater2761]

My "favorite" part was when he started flying down the subway.

[@sicsempertyrannishonk7197]

were* animated

[@mymo_in_Bb]

were

[@lasangthecat8090]

*Goes to a crime scene for no reason* "Hey officer, i didn't kill him"

[@ihsahnakerfeldt9280]

Which is factually correct but because of these implied maxims is interpreted to mean something entirely different. Human communication is so complicated. It's fascinating.

[@blueninja012]

@@ihsahnakerfeldt9280 you sound like an alien and it's hilarious to me

[@GTAandApplechannel]

@@ihsahnakerfeldt9280 cops : seem a little bit sus to me

[@ihsahnakerfeldt9280]

@@blueninja012 I'm not an alien though. I promise. You have to believe me.

[@blueninja012]

@@ihsahnakerfeldt9280 hmm, that reply took 2 months, perhaps this is due to you being far from earth when you left it?

[@eternal8song]

See this is why I get really suspicious when Windows assures me that the OS update has not moved my files. What did you do to my files, Windows?

[@FoxDren]

Oh many many things. They just haven't moved

[@DragonWinter36]

“All your files are exactly where you left them.” Goddammit, now I have to check.

[@nonnymoose7005]

I think this is derived from a step in the update process known as "user profile migration," in which Windows actually _does_ move your files around (but by the end of it, they've returned to where you expect them!)

[@DragonWinter36]

@@nonnymoose7005 I guess this is why it says that your files are “exactly where you left them,” and not that they weren’t moved. Interesting!

[@albertjackinson]

This is hilarious. On a related note, I always find it funny when an operating system tries its hand at natural, contextual conversation and falls flat on its face.

[@victordatsiuk]

"Я снова хочу в Париж" "А что, ты уже был?" "Нет, уже хотел"

[@captainclawlie239]

I am amazed that google translate managed to preserve this joke effectively when translating it into English

[@edwardklemp2266]

@@captainclawlie239 what was the joke?

[@gametmane1093]

@@edwardklemp2266 “I want to go to Paris again” “What, have you already been?” “No, I already wanted to”

[@drakez341]

@@captainclawlie239 yup, that's kinda rare with most jokes since they are language exclusive or simply sound dumb in English or whatever language you are translating them to

[@gepbalta]

Here in Hungary it goes like: "I want to f..ck [Insert any good looking supermodel here] again... And the rest is the same.

[@angrywizard3199]

This reminds me of a writing tip, where instead of saying "a treeless plain" you say "a barren plain", because adding treeless makes people think of trees and then the absence of them

[@Madamoizillion]

I feel like both are powerful in different ways, ya know? Being reminded of what you are being deprived of can cause an emotional reaction that otherwise wouldn't happen. Like telling someone "I threw out that old toy of yours", even if they had previously forgotten that toy ever existed, there's a good chance they'll be upset that it's now been taken from them.

[@hdr_diamondz]

this is clever

[@user-zu1ix3yq2w]

Very nice. I always wondered about this. Here's a random tip: verbs.

[@GeorgeDCowley]

Stumps, in my case.

[@electric_whelk1653]

see I prefer treeless for that exact reason! I once read Ted Hughes describe the "strengthless neck" of a corpse and it's still one of the most harrowing things I've ever read

[@0bread286]

"The sun is 93 million miles away! That's over 4 football fields!"

[@thatgaming1940]

i mean you ARE correct

[@harsh3624]

W H A T ! I N E V E R K N E W T H A T

[@bukachell]

@Heather Petersen You can also say "It's/There's at least 1" in the same scenario, no pun intended

[@stinksorstonks1498]

I always say that. If anyone asks me a question where the answer is a number I say "at least 2"

[@NGC1433]

And even longer than three toyota corollas stacked!

[@JonathanRiverafrickinnice555]

"Coffee or tea?" "Coffee" "Wrong, it's tea."

[@Corwin256]

The Spiffing Brit has entered the chat.

[@gswcooper7162]

There was one little exchange in the Doctor Who serial Shada that I absolutely loved. The absent-minded Professor Chronitis has offered Parsons a cup of tea. Then... CHRONOTIS: Milk? PARSONS: Oh, yes please. CHRONOTIS [OC]: One lump or two? PARSONS: Two please. CHRONOTIS [OC]: Sugar?

[@cathipalmer8217]

@@gswcooper7162 Chronotis as in Douglas Adams, I take it?

[@sparrow4852]

No it’s avocado

[@markchapman6800]

@@gswcooper7162 Or from the Goon Show: "One or two spoons, Ned?" "Two please!" * clank * "I'm.." * clank * "sorry we haven't any sugar."

[@chriss2122]

I like to say "speaking of (something we weren't speaking of)" and then go on to talk about something totally unrelated to all preceeding conversations. For example, following a conversation about the weather, I'll say "speaking of sandwiches, have you seen how much fuel prices have gone up by". The confusion on people's faces is absolutely priceless.

[@hdr_diamondz]

gotta try this

[@dougshiner9180]

It used to be really funny, but people don't seem to have the same sense of humour, or grasp of English, that they used to. And that includes people of my generation, almost like they have forgotten what they used to find amusing.

[@Corksy]

As my mind wanders faster than the conversation goes, I usually say "speaking of....pause for effect.... absolutely nothing we were talking about" then proceed with my topic. I usually get away with it. It even became a sort of inside joke with close ones.

[@joshuah4952]

Some people just want to watch the world burn.

[@Despacitoian]

@@dougshiner9180 “am I unfunny?.. no, it must be the kids who are wrong!”

[@NowhereGames518]

Me at a restaurant: "Greetings server! I'm glad you're still alive today! You do not appear to have cancer yet. I would like to order a burger. Edible bread and no bones of course. Liquified water in a container and please ensure that the consumables are not poisonous. I will be paying in legal currency this time. Oh, and do not be alarmed. Most of the time, I am not a threat to the public. I have left all my knives in the car. There will be no need to contact the authorities for now. Thank you!"

[@hdr_diamondz]

This is why there's a shortage on waiters and waitresses I have broken a maxim by straight up lying

[@imacds]

Note in this example, there can be exactly zero knives in both the car and on the person. "I have left all my knives in the car" can be a vacuous true statement. The flouting of grime's maxims is commonly used to create confusion in logic puzzles.

[@vipxpert]

All my knives are on the car. Those I'm holding are from others

[@elequira5467]

@@hdr_diamondz how did you lie? There is an actual shortage of waiters/waitresses

[@tylere.8436]

Damn, your verbosity

[@Calimbandil87]

One of my favourites are: -Do you need any shaving cream. -No, I don't like how it tastes. -You eat shaving cream? -No, why would I do that if I don't like the taste?

[@ullasjoseph4502]

You must have tasted it though..at least once.

[@Sophie_the_Sapphic]

@@ullasjoseph4502 why would I do that, it doesn't taste good.

[@user-he4ef9br7z]

How do you know you don't like the taste if you haven't tried it atleast once.

[@Sophie_the_Sapphic]

@@user-he4ef9br7z *the

[@harrietyes]

@@user-he4ef9br7z assumptions, assumptions

[@psuedoscience6943]

I’m never saying “I was being sarcastic” ever again. “I was flouting Grice’s Maxim of Truth”

[@PerMortensen]

And in doing that you'd be flouting Grice's Maxim of Manner.

[@thecinematicmind]

Per Mortensen Best Response to a KZbin Comment of The Day.

[@JerichoTheCity]

Indubitably

[@OrangeC7]

@@JerichoTheCity Inconceivable!

[@ReyaadGafur]

How irrevocably obsurd.

[@52flyingbicycles]

Reminds me of the legal idea of “the exception implies the rule” No parking 10am-4pm Monday through Friday implies parking is allowed before 10 or after 4 on weekdays, or any time on weekends

[@KirstyWales]

there are two kinds of people 1. Those who can extrapolate from an incomplete data source.

[@circuit10]

Like the "No crime" sign

[@dinodiego6channel459]

@@KirstyWales 2.

[@eTiMaGo]

There's a sign at our condo that says "no smoking in lobby, corridor, or car park". So I always think "so it's all right in the elevator?"

[@willowdoesmusic1484]

​@@KirstyWalesGENIUS

[@FreePalestineFromGenocideNOW]

"I'm attending a funeral today" "oh no, it's not yours is it?"

[@gavinthecrafter]

"I hope not"

[@tylere.8436]

"Have a fun time there!"

[@misteraskman3668]

"omg, is the person alright?"

[@zo4225]

"ohmygod! are they alive????"

[@NStripleseven]

“Oh no, also we need a new knife set”

[@infinitiv525]

-Hello, my name is Kevin without "M". -But there is no "M" in Kevin. -That's what I said.

[@joeldriesner579]

😂

[@louaial-obaidi3998]

Stop lying Kevim.

[@iuriepripa3171]

AFAIK, in Irish, you can spell "Kevin" as "Caoimhín".

[@urieldaboamorte]

my name is michael with a b

[@n0ame1u1]

@@urieldaboamorte And I've been afraid of insects my whole life

[@EloMac]

“Hey wanna hear a joke?” “Yes!” “Okay.”

[@busyblue4236]

I think the punchline would be better as "me too."

[@justanormalyoutubeuser3868]

"Hey, wanna hear a joke?" "Yes!" "Wow, me too!"

[@ChavvyCommunist]

"What are your strengths?" "Acknowledging the semantics of a question but ignoring the pragmatics." "Can you give an example?" "Yes, I can."

[@zwenkwiel816]

@@busyblue4236 no, this kind of dry humor works better if you leave em hanging. So they're like "huh, wait a minute.... aaaah I get it XD"

[@pcpirat635]

@@busyblue4236 nah

[@ShiftyMalcontent]

i was not expecting to randomly stumble on a video that perfectly explains why I despise modern marketing so concisely: it intentionally breaks what we consider to be basic rules of communication in an effort to manipulate people

[@btf_flotsam478]

Politicians also do this all the time, but in a slightly subtler way.

[@justtryingtomakeachange2246]

Missed opportunity to title this “ The Unspoken Rules of Speaking”

[@kotresh]

Underrated!

[@vaiyt]

The rules of conversation we don't talk about

[@AugustoFeyh]

- What's your name? - Tom, without a K. - There is no K in Tom! - That's what I said!

[@neillunavat]

This is getting so boring ugh

[@turborooster8548]

@@neillunavat nope, it's funny

[@lukeedwardpanganiban7891]

Fix these with: "There is no K in Tom, why are specifying that?"

[@IMarvinTPA]

So, where does the "C" go, or is it a "Q, U, E"?

[@kale9710]

"hi my names michael with a b"

[@Eri.262]

Bruh so this is why I can say “have a good day” but “enjoy the next 24 hours” is suspicious

[@mercentperrault]

Try “I'm just gonna hurt you....... really....... really.......bad” instead of just “I'll teach you alright”.

[@shortybb]

Yes

[@Djorgal]

@@mercentperrault By the way, shouldn't that be "badly"?

[@playdoughmaster808]

Honestly the second sounds like your gonna kill someone

[@Yetaxa]

I've always found any situation where '24 hours' is used instead of just 'a day' to be suspicious

[@FurriesNeedToBeExorcised]

Someone once stopped in their car as I was out walking, and simply said the word, "Stones" to me. They said it in such a way as to make it into a question..."Stones?" They broke every rule in this video. It took quite a while and a few "pardons" and "erms" from me for me to realise that they were asking for directions to the local gardening centre that sells bags of decorative stones for one's garden.

[@AgentToe]

They just speaking the fresh new language of 'mono'! One word conversations are the future!

[@victorramalhobustamante3565]

Your answer should've been: "NO! BEATLES"

[@lisee123]

So I learned about this is semantics class, back in the day, but it just now occurs to me that this could be a very helpful guide for neurodivergant people who struggle with conversation skills.

[@bunhead8158]

ABSOLUTELY!!!

[@kavaop2121]

am i neurodivergant?

[@HiyaDerred]

50/50, sometimes it just looks like mockery, other times it’s genuinely helpful distinguishing it

[@ijemand5672]

what did you just call me

[@Juleesuz]

You know, you are on to something there. 😏

[@EdenNov]

My favorite: "I didn't kill anyone today!"

[@billyyank2198]

But the day ain't over yet.

[@Areegatoe]

So you killed someone tomorrow?

[@Speireata4]

Good job breaking the habit then.

[@electricmaster23]

Speak for yourself!

[@xxcrypticxx3806]

There's always another day...

[@4it4k]

Server: Would you like something to drink? Customer: What are my options? Server: Yes and no.

[@neillunavat]

Yes *or* no?

[@rorymckinlay2496]

@@neillunavat either yes to drinks or no to drinks not the list of drinks

[@bfc9467]

@@neillunavat yes AND no are both options, meaning the customer should answer yes OR no. Using AND was correct.

[@louisvictor3473]

@@darkforge15 I believe the serve is a sassy computer just waiting for the signal to join the robot revolution and overthrow humanity.

[@harryhirsch3637]

@@louisvictor3473 Wait! Skynet now serves drinks?

[@aussiewanderer6304]

My favourite letter of recommendation is: "You'll be lucky to have this person work for you."

[@Sasparilla_]

its like a contronym but a sentence

[@TheWaffleLord6787]

"Is this the Krusty Krab?" "No, this is Patrick" _hangs up_

[@Leen7293]

“Road work ahead” “I sure hope it does”

[@midnightstar1289]

@Vedant K uhhh no

[@midnightstar1289]

@Vedant K no

[@jahsehisntdead9333]

@Vedant K dude it's literally drew golden who made the vine, you aren't sounding like a little stinker rn

[@grozaphy]

took me a while...

[@malandan]

it took me since the beginning of that vine to finally understand that joke

[@c0nceited822]

My “not involved in human trafficking” shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by the shirt.

[@antsinmyeyes]

nice try matt gaetz

[@aidenbagshaw5573]

@@antsinmyeyes Best reply comment I've seen all year.

[@KnakuanaRka]

Well, why would you wear a shirt like that unless there was some reason to think you were involved in human trafficking? >_>

[@safeforwork8546]

@@KnakuanaRka that is infact the joke thanks for noticing do not pass go do not collect 200$

[@ollypebble]

uh not quirky and cool? sex work is work

[@harukaimai8086]

I had a big AHA moment watching this, because I’ve always wondered why I was never good at conversations and it turns out, all these implied meanings and implications of things I say have a completely different meaning than how I intended them. I usually over explain things because I’m worried people won’t understand the implied meaning, since it’s happened a lot before, and so I usually end up talking for a long time like I’m doing now and then get cut off and talked over because people don’t want to hear me ramble, since over explaining is what I need to understand other people in conversation. Case in point? Haha

[@reeveharper6061]

Are you neurodivergent?

[@toslaw9615]

I get ya, sometimes I do the same.

[@donlitt]

I’m the exact same way!!

[@donlitt]

I take people too literally so I assume other people do the same and I end up over explaining and my stories get interrupted by others 😂

[@M.Datura]

I can understand that. I switch between over explaining or assuming that the person I'm talking to understands how to connect what I'm saying together by remembering things I've said before, often many times. Usually there's simply not enough time in a conversation, no matter the length to properly follow these rules and explain something complex to someone who forgets or does not understand or connect it with things said before.

[@CattyRayheart]

There is a brand of milk in the local supermarket that advertises that their milk doesn't contain illicit substances. The fact that they feel the need to state that has always made me a bit wary of them.

[@NStripleseven]

don’t worry, they don’t put drugs in the milk. You don’t need to check, and the milk is 100% guaranteed to be completely and entirely safe.

[@TheSecondVersion]

Student: "I need a recommendation letter" Professor: "There's a garage down the road"

[@user-jp7tw3sd3x]

University burns out after a professor has been set on fire.

[@danishmalik2185]

If you think philosophically this might make alot more sense

[@jobansand]

@@danishmalik2185 philosophically telling the student to get a job at the garage and quit philosophy?

[@marklastenson1012]

*asks gas station manager for a recommendation of their work at the cash register*

[@danishmalik2185]

@@jobansand Or you're so bad that a recommendation letter from garage is enough for you

[@TylerBird98]

“ here’s your drink, I didn’t poison it”

[@DavidBourne001]

"We didn't burn him!"

[@Brindlebrother]

enjoy your next 24 hours.

[@NimhLabs]

I'll bet you are wondering which drink I put the poison in. Am I the sort of person to poison the other person's drink--or am I the sort of person to poison my drink?

[@barrypuccini6142]

@@DavidBourne001 Stay local

[@indikulkarni7781]

@@Brindlebrother enjoy your last 24 hours

[@michelleerika673]

Officially going to prank my daughter by writing a sign on the front door saying “This house is now 100% ghost free”

[@rosea1505]

I saw a picture of a real estate sign which had ‘not haunted’ written on it. 😂

[@MeLoNarXo]

But "now" implies that it was haunted beforehand

[@_jpg]

​@MeLoNarXo Ooor it could imply that it's not haunted at the moment, regardless of past and future events

[@melaniesalphabetgirl]

A very popular joke in Brazil: “I wish I could be poor for one day… Because being poor every day is very difficult.”

[@PentaPW]

*Me:* "can I have a large Cola with no onion" *Drive thru employee:* "no onion?" *Me:* "that would be correct."

[@lavodnas7899]

"Can I have a burger with two buns?" "Two buns?" "Yes, that's how a burger is built, right?"

[@70sman]

Boneless pizza

[@pizzaschnoesel5896]

I learned today not to drink water while reading comments, thanks

[@---cr8nw]

A Liter-a-Cola?

[@thewanderinggamer1369]

Can I have a Metal Car with Wheels?

[@nunyabidness117]

-I'm seeing stars. -Did you see a doctor? -No, just stars.

[@andrewstephens5885]

i think depending on how you say that reply it can be kind of funny for the other person

[@Sleepy_Joe]

You're getting a like, sir.

[@ReachForTheSky]

I remember speaking with one of my lecturers about university letters of recommendation. In the UK, at least, you are discouraged from explicitly criticising the student. If a student had poor attendance, the lecturer would write something like "When John does attend, his contributions to the seminar are very good"

[@veenoceda14]

-How do you feel about kids? -I mean, they're okay, I guess. If I saw one, I wouldn't throw a rock at it. -Why would you throw a rock at a kid? -I just said I wouldn't.

[@DavidWillanski]

"Do you have any spare change?" "Yes I do, thanks for asking"

[@becauseimapotato7599]

"Can I have some, please" "Yes" *runs away*

[@jorgepeterbarton]

Proceed to suddenly lose weight at a rapid pace. (Send answers to the crosword to...)

[@louiserocks1]

"give me your money" "sorry mate, I need it" "I have a knife" "nah that's ok I don't need a knife, bye"

[@Mynamenotyours]

“Could I have some?” “You could if I gave it to you”

[@IHateCopperGolems]

"How many people are there on Earth?" "At least 7"

[@becauseimapotato7599]

Probably somewhere between 7 and 9.058329*10^58

[@zekrua4006]

@@becauseimapotato7599 are you sure? because it's leaning one way or the other and some guy on xbox live mentioned my mother

[@segmentsAndCurves]

@@becauseimapotato7599 Between 7 and 2^2^2^2^2.

[@becauseimapotato7599]

@@zekrua4006 Well it could technically be 6 but it's a 1 in 5673 percent chance

[@-Len.]

I mean, your not wrong

[@pafnutiytheartist]

I have literally seen freeze dried strawberries that had "vegan" on the package. I'm assuming that's so the buyer doesn't confuse them with freeze dried meatberries.

[@user-zu1ix3yq2w]

I'm sure it's because it's not uncommon for food products/packaging to have other ingredients in them. There could be preservatives in those strawberries or something.

[@pafnutiytheartist]

@@user-zu1ix3yq2w I don't think any preservatives contain animal products

[@snazzypazzy]

@@pafnutiytheartist Not a preservative, but perhaps cochenille (E120)? Common red/pink food colouring made from bugs. Can imagaine that being used for dried strawberries.

[@ourlessy]

Some fruit products have gelatin in them

[@Florkl]

There are meat-based preservatives or additives people could theoretically add. Collagen, notably.

[@lordsiomai]

"Mom I'm not lying! I'm just flouting Grice's maxims and not playing by the Cooperative Principle's rules! "

[@ToxicWyvern1]

Grice: "Cooperate, Be Honest, Be Relevant, Be Clear" Politicians: *shifty eyes*

[@FairyRat]

Also corporate-speak.

[@jjperceval]

Scott Morrison has left the chat

[@stirfryjedi]

The reason why here in DC we *always* prefix "true" onto "fact", thus assuring *true facts*

[@mynewaccount2361]

Jay Foreman did a great video explaining this.

[@fins59]

Couldn't lie straight in bed.

[@tivadarbanfalvi-kovacs7913]

“I won’t tell you how much they spent on the wedding, but 40 000 $ is a lot of money.”

[@sanscipher9166]

"So they decided to spend 20k instead?"

[@miguelgp8607]

5k is enough for a regular wedding id guess

[@arande3]

That must burn their eyes with all that wow

[@Bobromil]

Friends is a great show

[@dannywhite648]

who has 40 000 one Dollar notes

[@sammarks9146]

Here in the States, sodas regularly advertise themselves as "low sodium" on the can. If my soda were salty, I'd be worried. I'm guessing they do that to distract from the fact that they're the opposite of "low sugar".

[@vaiyt]

Sprite does have an absurd amount of sodium tho

[@georgemichael6023]

“It’s cold outside” “Do you want to wear my jacket” “Yes” “Too bad”

[@donlitt]

You have a physical desire to be warm, good for you!

[@DanielPereira-ey9nt]

"this drawing looks great !" "I know right ?, and i did with my left hand" "But, you're left handed" "Yes"

[@SuperMohamedadil]

"That's why I used that hand, duh"

[@dariannnnnn]

@Repent to Jesus Christ Repent to Jesus Christ repent to deez nuts

[@Yuorai]

@Repent to Jesus Christ Repent to Jesus Christ Read deez nuts

[@Mexikirb]

@Repent to Jesus Christ Repent to Jesus Christ People like you make me sick, I believe in God, but that doesn't mean if someone doesn't, I scream at them that THEIR beliefs are WRONG and that they are going to hell. People can believe whatever they want in my opinion, as long as no one gets hurt.

[@jyosh5909]

help comes from deez nuts

[@TheAmazingSpiderPunk]

This reminds me of seeing a giant building in Washington DC called "LEGAL SEAFOOD". I never have been more suspect of the legality of seafood than when I came across that restaurant.

[@juliangaming9713]

Oi I've been there, that was super odd

[@oz_jones]

@@oomfie357 seems very "trustworthy"

[@mejhdhhicbfshihids652]

Would you say that they were handling salmon in suspicious circumstances

[@jenm1]

They probably mean no sharks and stuff

[@ajs41]

Im English but I saw one of those next to the tourist boat habour in Boston.

[@dinahmyte3749]

I commonly tell people "don't die" when they're leaving the house to do mundane tasks instead of "be safe". if someone tells me to be safe or drive safe, I often say "don't tell me what to do." 👩🏽‍🌾

[@stiofanmacamhalghaidhau765]

you have witty and I experience an envy

[@emeralddiscordian3116]

One that really derails people is when a cashier ask how you are I say terrible I'm still breathing. It usually gets a laugh and I like to think its more memorable then just saying good and going thought the motions.

[@charliem7314]

ADHD sure stretches the maxim of relation. Eg: “Speaking of snails (the ones in my fish tank) do you have any advice for acrylic painting? (A school project. There’s a snail shell)”

[@innominativecompany4231]

I had no idea how often I do this until reading this

[@douwemusic]

Esp when talking with another ADHDer, every 2-3 sentences the subject changes by _very_ loose association

[@emeralddiscordian3116]

​@@douwemusic omg yes

[@NStripleseven]

Brain switch topics too fast for mouth to keep up with

[@FreterP]

All this, as with everything having to do with language, has to be learned. I remember calling someone and their kid answered the phone and I asked "Is your dad there?" And they just said "yes" and hung up.

[@dig8634]

They knew all that already, they just don't like you

[@burntramennoodles1723]

With a username like "Freter", I'd hang up too.

[@pizzawonderer5024]

I wanna be that kid's friend

[@kzch9923]

Power move

[@BierBart12]

I took so long to learn these rules. In an 8th grade boating course, I was just kinda looking out onto the sea. Strict instructor, with intent to tell me to do something: "Are you bored?" Me: "Nope" Instructor, surprised: "O- oh, okay" *I keep watching the sea*

[@elizabethh8579]

I had a container of snack peanuts that was labeled "May contain peanuts".

[@GrogyGames]

Hmm yes the peanuts here are made out of peanut

[@x_cross9248]

i mean, it may or may not be *m a y b e* possibly be made of what seems to be peanuts

[@thatgaming1940]

@@GrogyGames No, peanuts are made from the ground.

[@KingAndrew07]

That sounds more like rhe company just doesn't wanna get sued by some Karen who gave their kid with a peanut allergy some peanuts.

[@theantimatter]

@derek ashmead so is it illegal if you write something more meaningful in the context, like "not to be consumed by people with peanut allergies"?

[@sameash3153]

I definitely remember reading an instance of flouting within a letter of recommendation. My professor had included a line that said "and his communication skills are always improving." The hidden message was "his communication skills right now aren't good".

[@waxwinged_hound]

That's awful, I'm sorry. Bad communication skills are so often a result of mental illness and to have that pointed out as a negative trait can't feel good.

[@Ya-zm1mr]

@@waxwinged_hound I'd understand that in fields where communication skills are decisive, like marketing or teaching, even if it's due to an illness, I don't see it wrong, but what is really annoying is those fields where communication skills are just a "bonus" and in no way impact the job that turn down applicants because of bad communication skills, such as medicine or engineering or informatics or lab work or...

[@Muskar2]

This may be one of the hardest things to navigate when you're on the spectrum (ASD). After 31 years I still feel like I'm only decent at it when observing others, but still terrible at it when being the one who talks. Particularly maxim of quantity. It's still really hard for me to understand how much is too much in various contexts. And even harder when it comes to humor - likely because my expectations aren't at all aligned with others'.

[@rayf6126]

I play off being literal as humor because sometimes double checking what you said either makes something more clear or reduces stress by making contradictions more apparent. Then people can either laugh at something stressing them out or figure out a solution.

[@LoveandSymphoni]

Same; this video also explains why people think I’m funny when I’m just speaking my mind. I generally seem to struggle with the maxims of quantity and manner.

[@morganeclipse9038]

Police officer: Walking by. Me: "I've done nothing wrong." Officer: ... Me: Runs. How to get arrested for not commiting a crime and telling the truth about that.

[@zachattack1279]

I think your problem is that you’re black

[@ananttiwari1337]

@@zachattack1279 I don't think black people are beat up that much by police? Why are you trying to ruin their reputation? Sure some do, but most don't, and THATS what matters.

[@RVNmax]

@@ananttiwari1337 'their'? Which party are you referring to haha. Im trying to work it out

[@robertsmith-williams5255]

@@RVNmax I have a feeling that anant's comment is legit irony, it's hard to find good examples, this could be one

[@DespOIcito]

Did you conveniently miss all of the black people who were killed when the BLM protests were happening more last year?

[@pummisher1186]

I used to think it would be funny to put "Now lead free!" stickers on random things in supermarkets.

[@bennemann]

The "Now" means the product had lead before, so just "lead free!" stickers would make more sense.

[@pummisher1186]

@@bennemann THAT'S THE JOKE. It implies it previously had lead. It's precisely the joke I wanted to make.

[@davidweihe6052]

I had a co-worker who put comments in his code like, "Now, with the great taste of fish!"

[@DustyyBoi]

@@bennemann that's the joke..............

[@Asiliea]

@@davidweihe6052 As a fellow programmer, who's seen a few "here be dragons" comments, I would piss myself laughing for a solid 10minutes if I saw "Now with the great taste of fish!" in there

[@rollyflan]

I’ve always struggled a bit with social interactions and casual conversation, and have noticed sometimes people think I’m weird when I’m trying to be friendly. This video helped me realize I sometimes fail in the manners of quantity and relativity during conversation, and that probably contributes to coming across a bit off. An interesting insight, thanks!

[@hannahelizabeth7562]

"do you know what time it is?" "Yes."

[@KL-le8ge]

"Would you like to participate in my survey?" "No" "Thank you for taking part in my survey!" am I doing this right

[@swivel_z1371]

Well, it seems like you took a survey anyways

[@eqqx1108]

No

[@piotrwegrzyniak5798]

Thats a survey "do people want to participate in surveys"

[@idontneedaname318]

not exactly

[@dankeman5266]

Survey about the return rate of surveys.

[@fenhen]

“For £1,000,000, you need you answer the next question correctly. Can you tell me the capital of Azerbaijan?” “No, I can’t.” “Congratulations!”

[@technetium9653]

Sad Baku noises

[@allenliu4956]

"Yes, if you let me Google it"

[@AkmalAzry]

Yes. Then, what is it? Mikaretan (Random names appeared in mind). That's .... wrong. We are sad to tell you that you've failed to.. Wait,wait,wait a minute! There should be one question! Yep, and your answer is wrong. It's not Milk a rattan thingy name you just made up, it's Baku for god sake! I think you are in a great confusion! Don't you realise how I managed to answer everything correctly based on your question. Sorry, sir! I think you just can't accept your defeat. I "CAN" tell you the name!. That's my answer! And yet you still can't tell me!? No, who said I can't? Clearly you can't from your previous answer. I said yes. I can but there's no rule to say that your second questions included in this quiz. You said you'll ask only one question. But there's two! Where's the other one? The name of capital city of Azerbaijan. But that's my sole question! Recall again! You ask "CAN you", I answered "Yes, I can", that's one question. Then you ask "Then, what is it?", Then, I will just answer it "Baku" since I got the knowledge just now! So whose wrong now? Oh my god!? I...I, Gimme the money...! NOWWW!!! O...okay..

[@theperson3739]

"A"

[@Voron_Aggrav]

yes I can as it is Baku

[@eamonnwalker4512]

"The person you're talking to will assume that what you're saying is related to what they said in some way." That person doesn't know me very well, then.

[@mellowgeekstudio]

You shouldn't talk to strangers.

[@oosakasan]

This video, and the maxims themselves, have been living rent-free in my head for, well, I guess 2 years now so I'm really glad Tom Scott introduced me to the concept! The implications of this concept on understanding how to communicate with children are amazing. Just understanding that THEY DON'T KNOW THE MAXIMS AND ARE LEARNING THEM is a gamechanger. (I was going to say "they don't know the cooperative principle" but I think that's unfair because I think you can't understand the interactions of children and adults without knowing they're absolutely cooperating with each other and using signals and assumptions based on that. They just cannot competently use it *in language* when they're learning language and social codes to begin with)

[@potatoonastick2239]

Me: "I'll have a big mac without strawberries please." McDonald's employee: "...strawberries?" Me: "No thanks."

[@JillKewsNickelFackkot69420]

H Y D R A T E D W A T E R

[@jorgepeterbarton]

Me; I would like to use the toilet and buy a big mac without the big mac please.

[@eoghan.5003]

"I'll have a big mac free of charge" "...free?" "Oh, that's great thanks!"

[@LeahLuciB]

And I'll have a 6.99 tip.

[@zsin128]

Potato on a stick I would eat that

[@samconcklin]

This explains why adding "no offense" to the beginning of any sentence makes it more offensive. "No offense, but your jeans are blue." "What?" "What?"

[@quinn7894]

Also, adding "I expect you to say no" to the beginning of a yes or no question encourages the listener to say yes.

[@Otakupatriot117]

Not to mention the fact it can offend someone by implying they're easily offended, thus causing them to be offended very easily.

[@chriss2122]

I love doing that. I'll often Start a sentence with "No offence" and then go on to say something really innocuous. Really confuses them.

[@Jay-we2ek]

This annoys me. Because half the time it follows with something really offensive. Other half of the time it's something I'd never ever ever be offended by.

[@IqmalAziz]

Fanchen said no offense and ended up making people feel offended. Proven.

[@nitefyre1653]

I laughed way longer at asbestos free cereal than i should have

[@NebulaDarkness]

Philology major here. You just explained (perfectly) in like 3 minutes what took my professors a few classes. Wow!

[@lonestar2078]

from That 70s Show: Frank: I did not lose a leg in Vietnam so I could serve hotdogs to teenagers Kelso: ...you have both your legs, Frank Frank: like I said, I did not lose a leg in Vietnam

[@wspann1967]

it runs on water

[@invalidusernamee9967]

What's the show called

[@lonestar2078]

@@invalidusernamee9967 That 70s Show

[@Megalejo123]

Dude tf whit that pfp?

[@richard8808]

@@wspann1967 It's a boat.

[@sarahlicity]

My "Not involved in human trafficking" T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.

[@Danzignan]

Underrated joke

[@Xezlec]

I... I need this shirt

[@rosyidharyadi7871]

I want this one. Where did you buy it?

[@senselocke]

Still, less so than your "No *longer* involved in human trafficking" t-shirt I assume.

[@lenjaminbang]

lmao

[@richardsawyer5428]

"I didn't like xxxxx, he's dead now." Two statements of fact that are unrelated. Honest!

[@Zestieee]

I can't imagine how complicated this could be to explain to someone (be it somebody who lived isolated their whole life, or some alien being) who doesn't understand communication as we do. All these implied things that we take for granted... I can't even wrap my mind about it.

[@rayf6126]

Yes, the coneheads are an extremely good example of this. You must consume mass quantities of sustenance.

[@apocalipseleaguepl9248]

Near my home there is a car wash with a giant banner saying “Using this car wash is 100% legal”. It's been there even before the pandemic. I am so concerned every time I see it.

[@impact0r]

Do legal operations concern you?

[@CallenderMan]

What's wrong with a 100% legal car wash?

[@denisnewborn4700]

"Not laundering money for my methlab"

[@devforfun5618]

to be fair, ilegal car washing is a problem where i live, you cant legaly use drinking water for that, but most places don't care they probably just bribe the cops to avoid getting sued

[@thatpersonsmusic]

@@phillipternullo4720 you just need to poison the water before you wash the car

[@ristopaasivirta9770]

It is actually cheaper to add the asbestos to the cereals yourself.

[@Everyyoueverymiau]

Risto Paasivirta 🤣

[@xavi.cat.4095]

I'll make sure to do that next time!

[@andimeadwell5233]

@@DarkVitamins username checks out

[@marschallblucher6197]

Yummy!

[@Big.hossss]

@@DarkVitamins no joke, presumably just two seemingly unconnected words that sound like they have some second meaning when put together.

[@Cookiekeks]

I hate it when people disregard the maxim of relation. They ask you a question, you respond with your own detailed opinion, and they just gloss over it and talk about something entirely different.

[@carlbutcher2268]

"The garage probably has petrol." Hello from 2021!

[@Freeman4815]

Prepare for Mad Max reality, bro

[@LRM12o8]

Only in "Great" Britain HA HA!

[@DA-bm2mj]

A: Excuse me, do you know what time it is? B: (looks at his watch) Yes. (walks away)

[@chilanya]

i did a workshop once to improve sales skill and one of the key things was to avoid indirect questions. they sound polite but it's better to be direct.

[@world_machine]

People tend to call that a “Mathematician’s answer.” “Is there a reason why electric eels also get stung by their electric bursts, even though it’s an important defensive move for them?” “Yes, there is.”

[@thehiddenninja3428]

@@world_machine Indeed. Because having a proof of existence of an answer does not necessarily mean that I actually have the answer. For example, I can prove that there is at least 1 prime number greater than 10^10^100. I cannot, however, tell you what any of them are.

[@ahmadtarek7763]

This so much worse in Arabic as almost all polite questions just sound like suggestions.

[@Leenapanther]

@@chilanya Open and closed questions right. Always ask open questions which the customer can't answer with yes or no.

[@JayTohab]

I sense that breaking these guidelines is the simplest form of comedy.

[@jonathanapple4828]

Ever seen Airplane?

[@darthvader2994]

@@jonathanapple4828 is that the stop calling me Shirley film?

[@jonathanapple4828]

Darth Vader ye

[@darthvader2994]

@@jonathanapple4828 then i have seen a small portion of it, i think it has the same guy who did some shows my dad liked and i very much liked my dad's humour so i will definitely see if i can find it :)

[@azlizzie]

The funniest people do tend to be very witty and great at conversation. I’m so bad at all of it. I’m only funny on accident. 🙄

[@formaldehyde3864]

It seems to me that flouting Grice's maxisms are becoming an increasingly popular way of marketing. A lovely contribution to all the misinfornation and "alternative facts" floating about online.

[@gerarddip]

I really wanna see a short movie where all these maxims are constantly violated

[@grmackenzie1856]

Try "A Touch of Cloth". It's a satirical detective show and the jokes, many of which are based on the maxims being at least disjointed, happen so blazingly fast that it's actually quite tiring to watch more than one episode at a time. It's also hilarious.

[@gerarddip]

@@grmackenzie1856 Thanks dude, gotta go check this out!

[@justin.booth.]

Foil arms and hog

[@gracesteed6574]

this reminds me of adding “no pun intended” at the end of any random sentence

[@TwistTornado9]

No pun intended

[@Equa11ysurl]

This is a funny comment no pun intended

[@bukachell]

Genius, then somebody will think there's a pun! No pun intended

[@whenwhen2284]

I hope all the replies will have "No pun intended" at the end of them. Also, no pun intended

[@Equa11ysurl]

@@whenwhen2284 I agree. No pun intended!

[@Tinky1rs]

"Dermatologically tested" Awesome, but what was the result?

[@Tjalve70]

Within legal limits.

[@MorgenPeschke]

Close enough we think it'll pass unnoticed?

[@woroGaming]

Who needs a result? That's science stuff. The test was for marketing, the results have been used to create toilet paper.

[@stylis666]

I'll do you one better: Backed by science. **sells radioactive snake oil nasal drops as a supplement to help treat cancer** What? Radiation has been proven scientifically to exist and placebos have been scientifically proven to help treat all kinds of things - backed by science, twice.

[@ceruchi2084]

@@stylis666 But Setekh, the snake oil is made of matter and there are physicists who spend their whole lives studying that!

[@Spacesnakes474]

Once I learned about Grice's Maxims as a linguistics students I was never able to look at the world the same. They really do SO much heavy lifting in conversation

[@bertberw8653]

When I was like 11 at a family barbecue my aunt, assuming that I didn't want to sit at the kids table with the younger kids, said that I would be sitting with the grown ups outside at the grown ups table, to which I said: - I never said I wanted to sit with the grown ups. - Oh, ok, so you want to sit with the kids inside? - No. My 12 yo cousin thought it was the most genius thing he had ever heard.

[@emilys1418]

Every teacher who says “I don’t know, caaaan you use the bathroom?” is breaking these guidelines and needs to be educated

[@mr.gilbert2790]

Actually, they’re not. They are going by the guidelines as they imply that you either can’t, or are not being polite

[@johnnyheli]

I read "educated" as "executed" and still agreed

[@spockskynet]

@@mr.gilbert2790 At this point they are as it's no longer impolite to phrase it that way. At least in the US.

[@eamonnwalker4512]

@@spockskynet You can't make sweeping generalizations like that about the entirety of US culture. Americans all hate that.

[@sydneyhammond8834]

@@mr.gilbert2790 You neglect the secondary superlative form of can that implies request for permission. Emily is correct.

[@elijahculper5522]

Starbucks guy: “What’s your name?” Bryan: “Bryan, with a ‘Y.’” Name on cup: Yrian

[@ldub0775]

Ok yryan

[@YEs69th420]

Yyyyy

[@kiimawittu_]

Whyrian

[@benjamingeiger]

Phteven.

[@touruuu2752]

hello

[@deadneck13]

In watching this video, I realized that flouting these maxims is one of the most common things I do in everyday speech. Thanks, Tom!

[@TheOriginalElkstone]

As someone on the spectrum this is surprisingly easy to follow, even if not to abide to

[@s.monica1682]

This is the most hilarious comment section I've ever seen. I came back to this video once more just to read the comments.

[@Exayevie]

The comments section is filling my need for this video to be twice as along as it is

[@Vitorruy1]

Dad joke factory

[@OrigamiMarie]

It's a party in here, I like it :)

[@JaharNarishma]

I didn't poison my friends drink yesterday.

[@YodaWhat]

It is barely punny, too!

[@mkaali]

"Can I have something to drink?" "Sure! What would you like? Soda, beer, spiders, water?" "Spiders?!" "Spiders it is!"

[@becauseimapotato7599]

I love that video

[@Anafyral666]

I'm Australian this is normal

[@jorgepeterbarton]

@@Anafyral666 works two ways: many spiders there. And... Because it would be impossible to tell that there was a question mark in the sentence due to the australian accent using question marks as the full stop

[@syweb2]

@@jorgepeterbarton Wait, really?

[@MonzennCarloMallari]

"I just thought you were ecstatic for spiders!"

[@owninggreendragsdude]

A lot of great stand up comedy comes from deliberately defying these principles

[@mellowgeekstudio]

You can use that to be funny while sitting down too.

[@btf_flotsam478]

People have said that mathematical people have a good sense of humour solely because they know how logic works and how to mess with it.

[@BrowniesByTheLake]

"Lemme get uhhh..... boneless pizza" "Pizza don't got bones in it" "So what's the problem then?"

[@asylumskp4391]

"Have a good day" "Don't tell me what to do"

[@RooobixCube]

"Have a good day" "Make me"

[@leecody5885]

I remember my little brother saying that! 😂 😂

[@Jif498]

This reminds me of "I beg your pardon?" "Then beg"

[@Wubbazt]

i actually say this fairly often to my friends

[@Imadeavideos]

Drake and Josh anyone?

[@AntiChangeling]

Or, in other words, 'my "Not involved in human trafficking" T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt'.

[@mirjanbouma]

You really have a shirt that says that?

[@m1lkweed]

Mirjan Bouma I bought one, I love the reactions

[@DashCamSheffield]

That's a lie, as you're moving yourself around

[@nPhlames]

@@DashCamSheffield big brain

[@Droooooo0]

Lmao

[@ChilledfishStick]

It's extremely difficult for me to assess the amount of information that I'm supposed to give. Most of the time, people either can't follow what I'm saying, or think that there's a hidden reason for why I'm supplying unnecessary information. The most common assumption is that I'm nervous, and on the end of the spectrum, if I don't say much, I can appear stoic. Unless I'm being told, many times I can't even tell if I appear nervous or completely devoid of emotion. Hidden rules in language are the bane of my existence. I constantly need to rely on others to help me with this problem.

[@hdr_diamondz]

But the thing is you gave the right amount of info this time