This is becoming my new least favourite thing to hear. “Hey, Maybe X is this way because of Y” “It’s not that deep lol”
The saying waves off any and every attempt at thought by discouraging the idea of questioning or starting a conversation, as if the idea of questioning or conversing is some sort of mistake fundamentally. “Maybe things are this way because of X reason” “Nah it’s not that deep, it’s like this because it works”. Really? Well why does it work? Clearly the person you’re shutting down the question of wants to know, and the only thing they get from this response is “Stop thinking”
“You should think less” is okay? Because it’s not. The very notion that this saying is used as often as it is irritates me, and it’s so often used in situations that can’t actually hold up their stance on something. It’s like trying to claim your way is right, because the person questioning you made the mistake….of questioning you, when you said your way is right. That’s not how things work.
“It’s not that deep” at this point is a cop-out used to justify not changing or defending a stance because people don’t want to change or justify their stance, they just want to be allowed to not think about it and anyone who tries to do so is somehow wrong for doubting them. same with “I ain’t reading all that” in response to a comment someone posts on here for instance: It glorifies the fact that you don’t want to think, and other people do.
I’m so very tired of people glorifying a lack of thought.
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Saying “it’s not that deep” is not that deep bruh ^/s
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Most of the time it is indeed not that deep though
It’s not that deep
I think of it as being shallow, if in your perspective it’s “not that deep”, then that means you can’t get deep and are just a shallow human being.
A shallow human being who would revert to that basic retort to just try to disregard everything you say and downplay it to that simple sentence.
This reads like somebody being mad about being told that their conspiracy “theories” are nonsense.
I hear what you’re saying, and this website generally does not have the range to take most conversations seriously enough for them to understand what you’re saying and will instead just try to antagonise by doing stupid shit like bot spam what you’re saying to try and troll (proving your point) but I will say there are instances where people overthink and responding with “it’s not that deep” is valid, albeit a very crass response without any further explanation
tl;dr it depends on how it’s used, but in most cases it is dismissive and reeks of anti-intellectualism
Devil’s advocate: it is a useful response for chronic overthinkers.
There are people that spin elaborate webs of cause and effect where they convince themselves that them burning their toast that morning is directly responsible for a friend declining an invitation.
Sometimes things really are just not that deep, and no amount of reasoned logic is going to untangle that web that somebody spun around themselves on pure emotion.
That said, it definitely can be used as a dismissive Jab
Most of the time, it’s because people making a big deal over something that is really not a big deal
You dont actually understand the phrase. I’m pretty sure you overthought the phrase which makes it funnier to me.
It’s a troll response that basically means “I don’t have the intelligence or desire to actually debate or converse about what you said”
It’s meant to piss you off. It’s the TikTok generation’s way of saying “k” as a response
I can respect someone who argues something with conviction, even if I disagree. To shut that down with a “its not that deep bro” is lazy. Either counterargue or stay quiet.
That’s what she said
I’ve seen it used when something is an obvious joke or bit and someone (you) is taking it way too seriously.
some things sometimes just don’t need to be discussed… not that deep is just a way to say “you care about this, I don’t”
Unless You are talking about the kidney pool
Or sometimes it literally means “you’re taking this too seriously”.
This is a vast oversimplification. Is it true that sometimes people use “it’s not that deep” to get out of hard conversation? Yes. But it’s also true that sometimes it’s just not that deep.
It depends on the context. If your talking to someone about something like how the industrial revolution shaped the economics of our modern world, then it’s a cop out. If it’s someone talking about how aliens are already living among us and every political figure is secretly a lizard person, it’s a better reply than actually engaging with their argument.
So instead we should enable an irrational thought process? Cool. Got it.
The phrase is just not that deep bro. It’s funny you are so convinced of your own rightness that you can’t even consider the idea that you are overthinking it.
It’s used by people who don’t walk to talk anymore to you, specifically, about the topic at hand
Every post here is met with
Don’t eat x then!
Don’t go to x then!
Just don’t look at x then!
Like yeah, no shit, this is unpopular opinions though why not add to the conversation?
Sometimes it just isn’t that deep though. My girlfriend is a chronic overthinker, especially over text. She even admits herself that she can read one thing, take it in 50 different ways, and then come to the worst conclusion no matter how many times or different ways I explain it.
It entirely depends on the individual. Sometimes it just isn’t that deep, and whatever comment you’ve made might have been completely surface level with no undertones or hidden meanings. If the other person takes it that way, what are you supposed to do when it can’t even be explained further?
It takes two parties to come to an understanding. It isn’t solely on the person making a comment to have it be understood. The listener also has to make an effort to understand someone’s perspective rather than getting inside their own head.
The yin to the “just asking questions!” yang I see. If you find yourself constantly getting shut down like this, you should probably reexamine your way of thinking.
It’s similar to people saying they “feel some typa way”. Figure out what type of what you feel and tell us. It’s such a catch all it’s meaningless.
We are in a time where people just saying anything to reply or make a comment just because. I noticed this with words and phrases such as ‘diabolical’ and “low-key’.
It’s not that deep, only applies to someone who is taking something way too serious. That’s it.
Anyone saying it outside of that is one of these robot brain people who only repat what they hear or think it’s cool to say it at the moment.
Hard disagree. Saying its not that deep is usually the response to somebody that just typed 5 paragraphs explaining why 2+2 equals 4.
My brother, a lot of times, it’s just not that deep
Sometimes people hide behind its not that deep for sure, not all the time tho. Sometimes it’s literally not that deep, and you’re meant to take whatever they said at face value.
For example
“You shouldn’t bring your kids to fancy restaurants.”
What it’s really saying:
Let adults enjoy their overpriced steak in peace without tantrums, iPad volume on blast, or chicken nuggets being flung across the room.
What people turn it into:
“But what about single moms who can’t afford babysitters? What if the child is neurodivergent and needs exposure to social spaces? What if the family is celebrating the child’s last meal before surgery??”
It’s not that deep
You’re spending wayy too much time on the internet to care about this
Everything has a reason and everything is connected to everything else. So everything is as deep as your curiosity makes it. It may not be worthwhile to explore everything but not wanting to understand things to the extent you can shows a serious lack of curiosity. Why people lack curiosity is something worth exploring, imo.
Are they defensive about what’s in the depths? Or they’re insecure about their ability to dive. Or the world really is much deeper than what they’re capable of understanding and that scares them. Or they don’t like thinking. Or they want your time together to be about more shallow experiences. But, hey, maybe it’s not that deep.
There’s a phrase for it: “thought-canceling cliche.”
Yup. The internet has desensitized people to novelty of ideas, so if anything is vaguely associative, haters love to chuck it in the trash.
Simply saying that a good new TV show is stealing from Shakespeare, Scorsese, or whomever is not enough.
Another problem is that we’ve lost the drive toward the universal. Since everything is assessed and even constructed to highlight contingent issues, it becomes all too easy to dwell on superficial qualities.
For example, critics might lump movies like Her and iRobot together just because they investigate AI. Instead, Her has to be assessed more like a breakup rebound story that blurs the concept of subjective fulfillment by non-arbitrarily referencing AI. And iRobot is slop.
Yeah, some movies are just slop. In some cases, a soap opera and superhero movie are very similar.
Lol, reminds me of a certain situation…
Me: can we talk?
Her: theres nothing to talk about?…
Me: expresses the issue
Her: rages on about it how its my fault
Me: its not that deep
Her: *continues how its my fault
Context matters a lot here.
“I don’t like fish tacos.” Does not require me to defend or explain it in any way. I just don’t, and if you push me on it, at that point you are the jerk. I would wager this holds true in most casual or social situations where no one is expecting to have to justify an opinion.
If we are in a venue for debate or a serious conversation, not explaining a stance is less acceptable.
Look, I get that you already decided that you are the only deep thinker in the world and everyone else is not as bright as you. But hear me out:
Some things are indeed not that deep.
The topics such as war, economy, law, politics and the line are, obviously, layered and complex enough for people to have a discussion.
Meanwhile, more casual topics such as entertainment or hobbies are not that deep.Sure, they could be. But they rarely are.
Like…
“It’s not that deep” is a perfectly valid phrase for situations when a person is trying to establish non-existent connections.
For example:
Using the tv shows as proof of one’s moral and ethical character. If someone tells you that your enjoyment of a show immediately and completely defines your principles, then telling that person “It’s not that deep” is perfectly valid.
Idk anyone who says its not that deep but i do think its wild you think anyone owes you an explination or has to “defend their stance.” Sounds like youre exhausting and they just want out of the conversation.
its just a part of a growing list of phrases that show you don’t care therefore you’re more right than the other person.
that’s why people say “eh…” before they start an argument, or how “u mad?” used to be a thing. i think now its “stop crashing out”
I have learned that one of the symptoms of my autism is that I see systems. It can be a huge strength but it also at times makes me insufferable, even to myself.
I hate trying to explain medical tests to patients. Without a deep understanding of complex biochemistry, statistics, and physics, our tests are basically voodoo.
I find that people who say it’s not that deep or it’s not that serious are usually yes; either trying to avoid explaining themselves or are taking something very seriously.
Not everything has subtext or deeper meaning to it. In a comment below you give the example of someone having an opinion and when you want to analyze why they shut you down with “it’s not that deep”. In a situation like that your defacto demanding that people give you justification and their reasoning behind their opinions/actions. They don’t owe you that. And I’m certain there’s a deeper reason why you think they do.
There’s stuff I will absolutely be willing to get more in depth on and think about why something is. For other stuff all it is is surface level, there’s nothing else. People who believe there’s always another layer and constantly want to get introspective and pontificate the meanings and motivation behind things get annoying real fast and reek of pseudo intellectualism. At its core always wanting to do so is the same as a child asking “why” over and over again.
I don’t think it’s a cop out to not defend a stance, but more like a way to communicate, they aren’t interested in the conversation. I mostly see this used not for when people ask questions but for when people over analyze small things like why a character in a book ate eggs for breakfast or what secret message an artist is communicating with their every move.
Not every cartoon protagonist is in a coma.
I think it’s too avoid a pointless discussion or debate where there’s nothing to be gained and only lost
Its not that deep bro.
It’s used by stupid people who are literally unable to think more than just superficially about anything.
Sure, fair point.
However, as Thomas Sowell also stated:
“People who pride themselves on their ‘complexity’ and deride others for being ‘simplistic’ should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth.”
A topic might be VERY complex in implementation (see: building and running a nuclear power plant). But if you really understand HOW it works, you could explain it in a few minutes or a couple paragraphs so that someone who knows nothing about nuclear power plants could still understand the core concept.
“It’s not that deep” usually deserves a “you just can’t think any deeper than surface level” response. Although sometimes I will admit, it really ain’t that deep. But a lot of times, it also actually is lol
My partner and I will both say it to each other when one of us gets too wrapped up in the little details and starts stressing about things that don’t actually matter at the end of the day. Cause ya know, it’s not that deep, so don’t stress and waste time worrying about it. So it’s never used as a derogatory or belittling remark with us, but more as a hey, it’s all gonna be okay, let’s focus on things that do matter.
But you do you OP, it ain’t that deep either way.
Reminds me of the english teacher explaining the meaning behind Blue Curtains joke. No, the author meant the curtain was blue, mrs.tompson. The curtain wasn’t a metaphor for his sadness or the mental state of the character. It’s not that deep. It’s not because I don’t know how to explain it. It’s been explained, and you refuse to take the info as is.
It’s just monkeys singing songs, mate.
Well, it is valid sometimes.
I just read a convo in the PSG sub. They recently won the Champions League. Leo Messi (famous football star, ex-PSG player who did not leave on the best terms) had an interview where he casually said that he does not exactly remember the scoreline of the final, 4-0 or 5-0.
Some people were making it out be a back-handed compliment. That Leo was trying to deliberately make it seem like he does not think or care about the club. Other people rightfully said “It’s not that deep” and I agree.
I think of it as “it’s not worth my mental bandwidth to continue this conversation “
You definitely seem like the type to overanalyze and force your friend group to dive into socipolitical ramifications for things that just dont matter. You come off as smug because people dont want to think, when in reality they just dont want to think like you.
This is ironically a perfect use case for it’s not that deep
Dude, it’s not that deep
https://youtu.be/_1zzRLMHlDM?si=I5NBZouZK9jbNIne
My boyfriend thinks this song and video are super deep. Please defend this view to me lol
Sometimes it really isn’t that deep
“It’s not that deep” is the only response to this gigantic overthink.
Some things are the way they are for such abstract reasons that it’s not worth the effort in trying to dive deeper into them. I don’t think you’re wrong, but it’s not always a bad thing to just take something as it is and move on.
Resisting the urge to drop the line on you right now lol
While it certainly can be used as a cop out during an argument, it can also be used to tell someone that they’re severely overthinking something or taking something way too seriously, which 100% does happen.
Usually when I say “It’s not that deep” I am basically saying you need to calm the fuck down about something, you are being annoying and making a mountain out of a mole hill, or definitely somebody is trying to do too much. Let’s not overthink it-it isn’t that deep man.
Sometimes people over think, or over complicate tings that are not that complicated.
It’s ragebait. It’s used by regards to try and make your point mute. It’s the equivalent of irl repeating someone’s statement in a mocking voice in order to undermine something serious they said.
Same goes for “rent free”. Those type of phrases are the usual markers to know that all they want is to get under your skin.
“It’s not that deep” can be/ usually is a way of fobbing off someone who is annoying, won’t let an argument go, or feels entitled to an explanation they’re not actually owed. They could just tell you to “fuck off” but you’d probably say that’s rude.
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They are talking about their stance on the issue, not the issue itself.
They are telling you you won’t be able to drink from their well because there isn’t enough water for both of you
I agree with you and am actually surprised that so many of the comments are so antagonistic. Analyzing something and “thinking too deeply about it” is often worth it just for the sake of it. It’s good for your brain. Something doesn’t have to “be that deep” for critical thinking to be valuable in and of itself.
The answer is always:
“Yeah, to you maybe.”
Counterpoint: even if it is, in fact, that deep, there’s nothing wrong with abandoning a discussion on reddit with a stranger. Sometimes you have more important things to do in life.
I do agree the phrase is overused at this point, and there are probably lots of people doing what you’re talking about and not being intellectually honest or thorough in discussions. But one I’ve learned about reddit is that, while everybody has something to say, very few people have anything worth saying. I totally understand the impulse to shut down a discussion if I don’t feel like it’s going anywhere
Sometimes it really isn’t that deep.
It sounds like they don’t want to discuss the subject or point with you anymore.
There is a lot of these dismissive statements now and they are the tools of anti-intellectualism.
Sometimes the cigar is just a cigar, I don’t know what to tell you.
It depends on the context of the conversation. Sometimes it may be a cop-out, but life is random as hell. We like to assign meaning and a reason for being to everything, but sometimes things are the way they are by random chance and there is no deep meaning.
I’ve been using it as an instant indicator that someone on the Internet is stupid, and it’s funny seeing so many people in here make the same comment like they were going to be the first person to think of it, like jfc, thanks for the contribution, genius
Counterpoint: I am prone to shame spirals and overthinking to the point of anxiety, and the “it’s not that deep” mindset has given me lots of peace in recent years. Sometimes it really is OK to think less.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
I head this a lot
It’s always someone on here who goes around starting arguments and then when they inevitably lose they pull out the old reliable “Not that deep” despite them arguing like it was in fact deep a moment ago
I think the response you’re looking for when they say that is, “No, I think you’re just projecting.”
i think the internet has been a very convenient excuse for society to get really, _really_ anti-intellectual
‘cmon now thats why youre mad’ classic gaslighting line
Finally, another good unpopular opinion. Not everything can be explained with a quick internet search, or is as simple as a few sentences.
Yes, there are people who can go overboard with overthinking simple things. But not everything is like that
This usually comes from the “caring about things is gay” crowd and they get really mad when you try to peel below the surface about a movie or game they like.