Don't Say It

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About

Don't Say It is a Twitter meme in which people post mock conversations between themselves and their brain, in which the brain warns them against destructive, embarrassing or unnecessary activities.

Origin

On October 21st, 2017, Twitter^[1] user @Pandamoanimum tweeted, "*Gets in taxi* Brain: Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. Mouth: Been busy tonight, mate? Brain: WHAT DID I JUST FUCKING TELL YOU?!" The tweet received more than 130 retweet sand 700 likes in one year (shown below, left).

The following year, on July 13th, 2018, @Pandamoanimum posted a similar tweet,^[2] adding more instances of the phrase "Don't say it." The tweet received more than 7,000 retweets and 36,000 likes in four months (shown below, right).

*Gets in taxi* Brain: Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. Mouth: Been busy tonight, mate? Brain: WHAT DID I JUST F------ TELL YOU?!

Gets in taxi* Brain Don't say it. Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it. Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it. Don't say it Mouth: Been busy tonight, mate? Brain: WHAT DID I JUST F------ TELL YOU?!

Precursor

Prior to the emergence of the "Don't Say It" meme, many online joked about asking their taxi drivers "busy tonight mate?" One of the earliest available is a retweet^[3] from the deleted account @ThatLad0114 on December 29th, 2010 (shown below, left). On September 26th, 2017, Twitter^[4] user @paddypower tweeted, "'Been busy tonight mate?' 'Aye' 'What time you on till?'" In a little over a year, the tweet received more than 950 retweets and 4,200 likes (shown below, right).

RT @ThatLad0114: #ThatAwkwardMomentWhen ur in a taxi on ur own "you been busy tonight, mate?" < ! say that wen taxis full lol

'Been busy tonight mate?' Aye What time you on till?"

Spread

On November 7th, 2018, Twitter^[5] shared the second @Pandamoanimum tweeted and received more than 5,500 retweets and 32,000 likes in six days (shown below).

"Gets in taxi* My brain Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Me: "Been busy?"

Over the next week, more people on Twitter posted variations of the format, using a variety of situations that might be against a person's best interest (examples below).

On November 11th, Twitter^[6] published a Moments page about the meme. Several media outlets covered the surge in usage, too, including The Daily Dot ^[7] Mashable, ^[8] Thrillist^[9] and more.

*knows l shouldn't spend all my money on alcohol* My brain - Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Me - so what does the 15 people sat at this table want to drink!

hears cashier say price of item costing 19 and something cent* my brain: don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it me: great year

*teacher says "thank you* my brain don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it me @ArianaGrande

Various Examples

"Sits beside bf on the bed" My brain- Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Me- "your doing my f------ head in" 3

Brain: don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it My mouth: Put that swan on a lead Noel Fitzpatrick Ф @ProfNoelFitz On route to the next interview in Dublin this afternoon and we came across this poor confused fella who was stuck in the middle of the main road. Having experienced many Swan rescues down the years I knew I could help... mission accomplished...now... 0:29

person at KFC asks if I want a large meal* My brain: Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Me- "aye g'won then"

*sees road work ahead sign* my brain: don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it don't say it me: i sUrE hOpE iT does

My kid doing homework "this is too long and way too hard" My brain Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Don't say it Me: That's what she said

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Twitter – @Pandamoanimum's Tweet

^[2] Twitter – @Pandamoanimum's Tweet

^[3] Twitter – @CellDubs's Tweet

^[4] Twitter – @paddypower's Tweet

^[5] Twitter – @GeorgeAylett's Tweet

^[6] Twitter – The Don't Say It meme can make conversations awkward 🤭

^[7] The Daily Dot – The ‘don’t say it’ meme reveals our worst automatic responses in social situations

^[8] Mashable – The 'Don't say it' meme is so relatable for anyone

^[9] Thrillist – The 'Don't Say It' Meme Captures the Struggle Between Your Brain and Mouth

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