Fuck you. It’s not. It’s actually the opposite difference. See, that’s how difference works, it’s DIFFERENT.
I don’t generally spend my time on colloquialisms, but I find myself infinitely annoyed by this one. Perhaps it’s being mathematically inclined that bothers me, despite we’re usually referring to names or things saying “same difference.” But it’s still wrong.
“Phoenix, Tuscon, same difference.” But no. See, the differences are that one is not Phoenix, and one is not Tucson. And that’s just the obvious ones. Completely opposite differences, it turns out, just like I said. One north, one south, one hotter, one colder.
Hey, I didn’t say they’d all be comedy gold, I can be annoyed however I want.
10 comments ↓
While I support your righteous indignation – I’d argue that the difference being quantified is not between the two items, but rather their relative difference to a third item which may or may not be stated. For example:
“Why don’t you go to hell?”
“I could never live in Phoenix.”
“I didn’t say anything about moving to Phoenix! I said GO. TO. HELL!”
“Hell. Phoenix. Same difference.”
See?
See previous disclaimer about “Comedy Gold.”
Fair point, certainly, and in the example the usage is just fine. It’s mostly the use as a replacement for “close enough” that irks me.
I can relate to this. “Same difference” is a ridiculous comment to make unless it’s been thought about before blurting it out (Agreement with CUJoe) I’m a Kiwi living in Canada. People constantly say shit to me like “I know someone in Sydney” and my reply is always “great, what’s your point”. “You’re an Aussie, right?” is the response I get. “No, I’m Kiwi” I say. “Meh, Australia/New Zealand……….SAME DIFFERENCE”. What the fuck is up with that shit. No it’s not the same difference you ignorant cunt. Take a gander at a fucking atlas.
If used properly it makes perfect sense, especially to the “mathematically inclined”…10 – 4 = 6 (the difference between 10 and 4 is 6), and 1000 – 994 = 6. It’s the same difference. So if the end result of two subtractive equations is the same, it’s the “same difference”. You could argue that the difference between the US and Australia is about 7500 miles, and the difference between the US and New Zealand is about 7800 miles, they’re close enough with rounding to be approximately the “same difference”. When comparing one item from two independent items and their “difference” is practically the same (i.e. the distance from LA to Tuscon is slightly farther than from LA to Phoenix, but not enough to matter if you’re actually making the drive), it’s essentially the same difference. Of course the term needs to be used properly to make sense, which is the real trick. You could even expand that to non-mathematical statements, such as the difference between Christian and Hindu religions could be thought of linearly as about the same as the difference between Christian and Buddhist religions, although each is fundamentally different, they are both far enough away from the point of view of the observer (Christian) as to be the “same difference”. Therefore a cross-burning Southern gentleman saying “Hindu, Buddhist, same difference!” is a correct statement from his point of view. Think of it as the distance, however you want to interpret it, from point A to point B as compared to the distance from point A to point C, B and C both being relatively the same distance from point A.
Actually ‘same difference’ does make sense mathematically. the difference between Phoenix and Tuscon is the same as the difference between Tuscon and Phoenix so
Sure, that might apply to the raw mileage. But to all the other aspects, it doesn’t work.
The statement is applied to things like “Jelly Belly, Starburst, same difference” just as much as distances. Perhaps moreso!
I’ve always seen it as a comparison to a third quantity, like CUJoe and TimmyT said.
They’re both different enough from what I want/have/am/whatever that the difference between them is the same. Thus, it’s the same difference.
So in your candy example, I want M&Ms. But I have Jelly Bellies and Starbursts. Neither one is what I want, and they’re similar enough to each other that the difference between them and what I want is (to my point of view, at least) the same.
But even then, it’s not the same.
They’re both fruit flavored, sure. But one has a harder shell and requires chewing, the other is soft and melty. Bad phrase. Throw it out!
I’m not denying that they’re different, I’m just saying I couldn’t care less about the difference. So to my point of view, the difference might as well be the same.
Leave a Comment