Is "IMHO" a rude thing to say (or type)?
The initialism1 IMHO stands for "in my humble opinion". It's commonly used in text-based communication (chat clients, forums, popular Q&A platforms). Here's an example:
Person A: What do you think about implementing this new feature request?
Person B: The cost for that change outweighs the relatively minor benefit IMHO.
I feel that:
- On one hand, mentioning one's own humility seems a bit...ironic (or possibly even sarcastic), which is rude.
- On the other hand, it's possible that, for most people, this reads the same as "IMO" (in my opinion) - which sounds more neutral, and thus is not rude.
Is "IMHO" a rude thing to say (or type)? Why or why not?
I'd appreciate answers with facts, references, or significant personal experiences if possible (as opposed to just opinions), as I realize this is somewhat subjective.
1: I just learned this word today!
I'd say that, unless other nearby content points to definite sarcasm, the phrase "in my humble opinion" should generally be taken as being sincere.
The definition of humble includes an example of the phrase as being "courteously respectful". There's a latin phrase, "ut humiliter opinor", which translates as "in my humble opinion", which would indicate that the phrase is quite old and has been used for a long time (though I haven't researched this, it could well be pseudo-Latin for all I know, like "non illegitimi carborundum" ;-) ).
The phrase is used in modern writing; for instance, there's a quote by Dumbledore in the Harry Potter books that goes something like “Words are, in my humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” (I suppose one could argue that Dumbledore has little to be humble about, but I'd certainly interpret this instance as being sincere.) It might be interesting if anyone knows of examples in "older" literature.
Having said that, in its abbreviated form, "IMHO" or "imho" as used in informal writing, emails, social media, etc., there may well be a higher percentage of sarcastic usage, but again I think this would largely depend on the context and one should assume sincerity unless there are other indicators of sarcasm.
I would suggest (though some may well disagree) that its usage in informal writing is quite similar to the phrase "my two cents", i.e. saying "here's my opinion, take it for what it's worth or feel free to ignore it". (Though this phrase always strikes me as being ironic because, in Australia, we round money to the nearest five cents, so two cents are essentially "worthless".)
There is no global answer; whether "IMHO" is sincere, rude, actually humble, or something else depends entirely on context. In your example an opinion was solicited, so I would take the response at face value. Other times it can be used in a more-forceful way, as in:
Person A: This new feature sounds interesting.
Person B: That feature would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to our product, our customers, and our bottom line. Only a moron would seriously suggest doing that! IMHO, of course.
I haven't researched this, but I remember seeing IMHO earlier than IMO, so it is possible that the "H" dropped out when people realized that it usually doesn't add anything. I have also seen IMNSHO ("not so") as a direct reaction to the "IMHO" formation. I saw all of these variations on Usenet in the 1980s and early 1990s.
There are subtle differeces between IMO and IMHO. IMO is simply a way of expressing an opinion. "This is what I think about the topic". IMHO normally has some sincerity in the humility: "This is what I think about the topic, but I am not an expert". It is often used also to mean "This is what I think, please don't flame me if you disagree".
IMNSHO - or even, as I have seen it, IMNAAHO (not at all), is more often used sarcastically, implying "This is what I think about it, so like it or sod off" - probably ruder than the other versions.
Of course, the circles I move in virtually may be more refined than others. Some people - especially but not exclusively the young - ignore the subtlety of the differences.
Rolling Stone had no problem with the venerable Peter Travers using IMHO in his summary when he named The Social Network the best movie of 2010:
What director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin are doing in this movie, which IMHO surpasses all other movies this year, is using Facebook to hold up a mirror to the way we live now.
The Macmillan Dictionary's definition says:
IMHO, abbr : in my humble opinion: used, often humorously, in e-mails and text messages for giving your opinion
Nothing wrong with a little humor, IMHO.