Not Gonna Brag · 29 August 2026
Have you ever noticed that when somebody says, “…not gonna brag…” they are really just getting ready to brag?
I know that when I say, “…not gonna brag…” it means that I am gonna brag, and I think it is true of everybody. I mean, why else would you say that. Not gonna brag, but this. Not gonna brag, but that. It is totally bragging. Not gonna brag. Sheesh.
It is a strange idiom, but I suppose we all know it. So we just wait for the brag. We wait for what the speaker says he or she is not gonna do. We may do so with arms crossed or with a wink to our neighbor, but we wait for the brag. And when it comes, we either have fun with the bragger or we laugh. And sometimes we are really amazed.
I wrote the title of this blog post when I wrote the title and first line of the previous blog post. I knew I was bragging and I wanted to own up to it. After all, I do not really think that I have that much to brag about. So I figure that I can get away with it every now and then.
When I do brag, it is in front of family and/or friends. People who know me and my idiosyncrasies. They know that when I brag about something, it is usually a cue to laugh. And they do. They all tend to laugh out loud at me. Not with me, mind you, at me. And I expect it. After all, I know that the only kind of humor that gets me genuine laughs is the self-deprecating kind.
(Now, I must say that there are people out there who cannot use self-deprecating humor. It just does not work. I think part of it is because most of us cannot laugh at ourselves. Personally, I laugh at myself all the time. I even brag about it here in my blog. It is crazy in many ways. I mean, who does that? Well, I like to write about my foibles and follies. But I do not know why. Okay. Maybe I do know why. There are so many of them.)
I like to write about my missteps and mistakes because I know that there are people out there who just need a laugh. Or maybe they need to know that there are other people out there who make mistakes. Maybe even mistakes just like theirs. Or at least close enough that they can relate. Which is part of the reason I chose MediocreMan, when I started writing in earnest. I am just a normal guy. A mediocre guy. A mediocre man, if you will.
Which is why I do not often say, “I’m not gonna brag, but…” It is not really part of my vernacular. Not part of my shtick. So I suppose it is okay to use the phrase every now and then. Especially when I use it like everybody else does. Especially when I use it just before I brag.
© 2026 Michael T. Miyoshi
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