by BERN MORLEY
To be honest, the last time I had a good look at the 10 Commandments was probably around the same time I was getting ready for my Holy Communion circa 1983. I was what, 8? That was the first time I’d heard “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife” and “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods” and I was all like “why on earth would I desire old Mrs Fowler or her rubbish television?”
Then there was all this talk about sin and first confessions. How much could I possibly have sinned at age 8? I hadn’t kissed a boy because they STANK. I didn’t know how to swear, I was, to the best of my knowledge, honouring my mother and father and at that stage, had yet to even take the Lord’s name in vain.
I mean Christ on a bike, I had to make up my first ever confession because I had NOTHING. From memory I made up some story about fighting with my brother (which I’m pretty sure to this day, still won’t get me sent to hell) did 10 Hail Marys and I was good to go.
Anyway, this is really a long winded way of saying, in my world of now very apathetic religion, I thought I might nut out a few new Commandments that might be relevant in this modern society.
1. Thou shalt not misuse the word ‘literally’.
2.Thou shalt not play a new song so many times on the radio in a 24 hour period that people can no longer stand it.
3. Thou shalt not be a big deal if two people of the same sex want to get married.
4. Thou shalt not talk about fight club.
5. Thou shalt not drive in a bus lane. Unless of course, you are a BUS.
6. Thou shalt not fail to acknowledge being let into traffic.
7. Thou shalt not vaguebook. Just tell Barry you hate his guts and GET ON WITH IT.

We wonder who these 'people' are?
8. Thou shalt not EVER interpretive dance to a Gotye song.
9. Thou shalt not use the words “rando” or “cray cray” if you are over 35.
10. Thou shalt not kill someone over the result of a football match. Hey guys! It’s a game. Get a grip.
Feel free to add your own.
PS, this is tongue in cheek so
a) apologies if you are deeply religious and
b) nope that’s it, just sorry.
This was originally published on Bern’s blog here and has been republished with full permission.
Bern is a Gen X, child of the 80′s. Kept busy being a working mother of 3 children, she writes beautiful and amusing posts on her blog which you can find here.
Have you got any commandments to add to the list?









Comments
110 Comments so far
I don’t wave as I merge. It’s the LAW to give way, do you want a prize for doing what you should?
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Oh no, no prize. Just a bit of common courtesy
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Thou shalt never use this emoticon: <3
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Truth Mansi – TRUTH!
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Basic grammatical errors drive me cray cray (eek, I’m over 35).
When people say or write ‘alot’ (instead of ‘a lot’) I think of this creature ……..
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
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It’s okay Fifi, I can see you aren’t 35 in spirit
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First of all (to be serious)….Thou shalt not (if you’re a journalist) use the following words when describing a tragic scene – grim, grisly, gruesome as someone’s loved one may have died there.
Thou shalt not speak during a movie or stage production – to have these expensive things ruined by stupid chatter is just plain selfish & inconsiderate.
Thou shalt not confuse the following – there, their, & they’re………and your & you’re.
I admit I am guilty of using ” ” a lot (to “lift” the word ) and to add tone……
And I quite often use “lol”………….lol.
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Though shalt not convince anyone to do anything. You will persuade them to do it. However, you may convince someone that something is so.
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Thou shalt stop qualifying “unique”. By it’s nature, something that is unique is one of a kind. Something, can’t, therefore, be very, extremely or most unique. It is either unique or it isn’t. Emma Freedman I’m looking at you.
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Thou shalt not use the work ‘atypical’ when thou meaneth ‘typical’. Kiwis, I’m looking at you specifically.
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That shalt not insert an extra ‘i’ or syllable into the word ‘mischievous’. Please!
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man I’m old. I didn’t even know what cray cray was, I just had to google it. I’d rather just say ” that there is some crazy shit”!
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Thou shalt not use the phrase “try and” instead of “try to”. Unfortunately it was all the way through the Harry Potter books. I did a lot of teeth gritting, but refrained from getting a red pen out.
Thou shalt use the word “hypoactive” when you mean “hyperactive”. Also drives me insane.
Pleas also desist from sending emails that level personal attacks at our PM (I’ve seen some truly foul ones), or that give out incorrect figures on benefits refugees receive from centrelink. They get the same as everyone else ppls!
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I may have responded to reports of people being “hypo” with concern that they have slipped into a diabetic coma. Or just asked what they have slowed down. Then corrected people and told them that it’s hypER. May have.
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I took great delight in explaining to my sister (who has always been rather judgemental towards me) just what the meanings of the words hyper and hypo active were.
I think we may cut from the same cloth in that way Kris.
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wheres your “e” on the end of please
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Thou shalt not say ‘That’s my FAVOURITE movie!’ to EVERY movie brought up in conversation, ever.
Thou shalt not try speaking in an Irish accent. I’m sure I’ve caused enough offence/embarrassment amongst my Irish relatives.
Thou shalt enjoy a cocktail on my eighteenth birthday on Saturday, because I am awesome, and I can.
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Thou shalt not refer to celebrities on a first name basis unless one is personally acquainted with Brad Pitt (or one is a journalist).
Thou shalt not discuss bowel movements of self, baby or small child in public unless speaking with a health professional. Thou shall certainly not discuss these things on facebook (or thou shall at least private message)
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thou shall never ask a woman (me) ” so any plans for some little ones in the future?”
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Thou shalt not refer to professional sportspeople as heroes.
A hero is someone who runs into a burning building to save a life.
A highly paid sports ‘star’ is simply doing a job and is not a hero. Okay.
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Kathy W you are spot on. These parents are true heroes.
http://www.news.com.au/world/son-saved-by-homemade-ventilator-in-china/story-fndir2ev-1226566314098
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aww, how about apologies to anyone over 35?? devastated about the cray cray..
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I actually like that term, and peeps too.
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Thou shall not use the term “no offence” after saying something that would clearly offend me.
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Thou shall not use the term “I’m, not racist, but” before saying something that is clearly racist.
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Thou shall not use the word “tragic” to describe something that is not a tragedy. Channel 9 uses the word “tragic” in a story about fallen diggers and then the same word when an Australian athlete gets a silver medal.
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Thou shall not use ‘basically’ when responding to my question – you don’t need to break it down, you just need to answer.
Thou shall not say ‘do you know what I mean?’ after every sentence – if you are speaking plain English, I know what you mean
Thou shall not yell ‘Scoootland!!!’ or ‘Freedom!’ when I tell you I have a Scottish background, Scottish people are aware there is one ‘o’ in Scotland and pronounce it so. You are not Billy Connolly or Braveheart so I don’t need a rendition of either, thanks.
Thou shall not try to convince me Two and a Half Men was ever more than average at best.
Thou shall buy clothes in your ACTUAL size – buying size 12 when you are size 14-16 or a 14 when you are clearly 18+ does not make you look skinnier. No one can see the label so stop pretending you are smaller than you are or get on a treadmill.
Thou shall never, ever, EVER wear jeggings. Ever.
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Thou shalt never say ‘aye’ at the end of each sentence.
A full stop is all that is necessary
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Thou shalt not take duckfaced/troutpouted, overhead, down the cleavage selfies and post them daily on facebook, especially if over the age of 25.
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Thou shall not pick nose at traffic lights as we can all see you!
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Thou shalt not use the word “divine” if one spells it “devine”.
Drives. Me. CRAZY.
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Thou shalt not dye thy hair bleach blonde and let then wait six months to fix the black roots.
Thou shalt not take pics of their lunch and post it on Facebook.
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Thou shalt stand on the left hand side of the escalator and alloweth other passengers to passeth. Failure to observe this commandment shall result in eternal Hellfire and damnation.
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Wish I could do more than just ‘Like’ this comment!
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Thou shalt not use extreme words like devastated over minor events. It is not devastating when someone leaves a reality show
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Thou shalt not use ‘awesome’ unless struck by awe. A sandwich is not awesome. Nor is a cup of coffee.
Thou shalt not spell ridiculous with an e.
Thou shalt put thine hand over thy mouth when yawning in public. Thine tonsils doth please me not.
Thou shalt not act like a tool on public transport.
Thou shalt not share thine mobile telephone conversation with everyone who happens to be in a 50 metre radius. We care not. Shhhh.
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Thou shall NOT SHOUT on forums.
Thou shall not say ‘just saying’ obviously you are saying something
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Thou shalt not use “needless to say”. Saying something and then saying “needless to say” when it’s not a natural foregone conclusion doesn’t make sense.
“I got the hair on my legs lasered, needless to say, no waxing costs for me now” makes sense but is annoying.
That is how you use needless to say (if you must). It’s not emphasis. It’s redundant, really. Much like ATM Machine or PIN Number.
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So I could say “needless to say…” and then do a gesture? Like, slitting my throat, or doing a AFL umpire goal sign? Would that make you happy? Cos I’m prepared to do that for you.
Otherwise I’d never be able to say “needless to say” again.
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Not saying it would be preferable. If it’s needless to say, why say it?
Same as “Can I just say…” You’re saying it!
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Thou shalt not use the word disorientated when they mean disoriented. My personal pet hate. And so many people do it.
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So many people do it because it’s a real word.
Thou shalt check in an English dictionary before declaring that disoriented is the correct term. Disorientated is the correct word in English. US English uses disorient. Australians can’t make their minds up whether they want to spell like the Americans or like the English. Pick a side, people.
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Thou shall change the dictionary on your computer to Australian English especially if you are putting out public documents.
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thou shalt change the station immediately every time a chris brown song is played on the radio.
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Or when Kyle Sandilands is on the radio show
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Thou shalt recognise that “yous” is not the plural of you.
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But ‘youse’ is fine…
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Also, stop saying ‘me’ when you mean ‘my’! Someone in my office does this: “I’m gettin’ in me car’, ‘I put me lunch in the fridge” – urgh.
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Ditto!!!
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* Thou shalt not take shit to heart when its *clearly* meant as tongue in cheek..
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Thou shalt remember that the s comes before the k in the word “ask.”
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Loved this post. HATE when people misuse ‘literally’. “I literally hit the roof!” No.You.Didn’t!!! Hate ‘cray cray’ as well as ‘ridic’.
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Thou shalt not say “could OF” or “should OF”.
Thou shalt never order a “sanGwich” . Especially not one with “capsicuN” in it!
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Or ‘Ung-ion’
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The ‘could of’ and ‘should of’ ones drive me crazy. And don’t get me started on the correct use of apostrophes…
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Grrrrrr! Me, too.
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What bugs me most about Jamie Oliver is his using ‘literally’ way too much. To describe how he ‘literally’ sprinkles parmesan, or ‘literally’ mashes potatoes. As opposed to metaphorically, Jamie?
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I had metaphorical parmesan in my risotto tonight. So much better than the real thing.
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Ah yes, the “could of” and “would of” is the worst! I was recently reading something posted by a journalism graduate and she was saying how she is hoping to become a writer and she used “could of” and “would of” in almost every sentence. Ugh. How does this happen? How does someone get a degree in journalism from a university and still say this?
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I was shocked in one of our early tutes for my English subject this semester, and said how much I hated “Could/would/should of” – either being said or being written. Our tutor said “Yes we often write things differently to how they sound when spoken”. In that case, no we bloody well don’t!
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If you think you hear someone say “could of,” it’s less stressful to assume they really said “could’ve” (contraction of “could have”).
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But I see it written down all the time so clearly a lot of people out there think that “could of” and “should of” is the correct way of saying it.
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lol at number 9… I hope Stacey from Big Brother is reading this! Although I do like Nom noms and Cud cuds!
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Thou shalt not confuse your with you’re. Thou shall google ‘contractions’ if unsure of their use.
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If I could ‘like’ this a thousand times over, I would.
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It’s the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you’re shit!!
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If Im ever not sure I just quote “friends” in my head! Its: “you apostrophe re means you are …. your means your”
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Thou shalt not ask a lady with a lil belly when she’s due.
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Oh, and thou shall not compliment a tanned person on their skin and say “Wow you have an amazing tan, did you just return from holidays?”
(They replied with no, I’m Indian – cue beetroot face)
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i just spilled my coffee laughing
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Thou shalt remember that just because an item of clothing is made in your size it does not mean you should wear it.
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Yep. Just because you can get into it, doesn’t mean it fits.
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Thou shalt not wear gym clothes to go for coffee.
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What if it’s a post-workout coffee?
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As a theology graduate I can say confidently that I’ve read the original big ten a number of times. I rather like them. I read recently ‘it’s basically ten ways of saying it’s not all about you’. I’m interested that most of the (non-fashion) suggestions here also encourage less self-centred behaviour. And let’s face it, having an affair with the next-door neighbour is still a pretty bad idea.
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Thou shalt not wear leggings as pants. Ever.
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nice one Mia. We know that’s you! lol
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Thou shalt not post pictures of every meal you eat. Thou should just eat it before it becomes cold.
Thou shalt not sit in the seat right next to me when there is a carriage full of empty seats
Thou shalt not complain about having to write an assignment in one night when thou knowingly left it to the last minute
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+1 to the tights as pants
Also:
Thou shall not wear skirts/shorts/dresses so short you can see the point where your thighs touch.
Thou shall dress at the size you are and not the size you want to be.
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Love that last commandment.
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So basically lets keep all the fatties with big legs hidden away? Sounds like a plan. Oh, and I’m sorry for offending you by making you look at my thighs touching in a dress.
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Tights as pants look terrible on anyone size 6 or size 26. They leave nothing to the imagination, camel toes are not a good look and after a wash or two they start going see through so why even bother putting them on.
Short skirts/shorts – I don’t want to see your girly bits, or your bum cheeks or your knickers on the train, while I’m trying to work, or eat lunch or anytime really. It’s not lady like so put it away.
Dressing for your size – looks nicer, you are not constantly tugging at things to hide your tummy, keep your boobs out of view, cover your bum when you sit down etc etc. Looking nice and feeling less self conscious makes you happier and feel better about yourself.
Do we need to add “Thou shall not automatically think the worst of everyone to the list?”
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Oh dear! Was such a defensive personal response really necessary on a light hearted fun topic?
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Thou shalt not wear shorts so short I can see your butt-cheek.
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If I stand with my feet together my thighs touch from the knee up but I will continue to wear mini’s cos I have sexy, muscular thighs!
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“Thou shalt not use quotation marks incorrectly”
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Mary Poppins said “Practically Perfect People never allow sentiment to muddle their thinking”. So Mary Poppins is saying”
Thou shall not allow sentiment to muddle thy thinking”. Those who fail to live this commandment will “recognise anything Kyle Sandilands says as intelligent” (quoted from Maven Haven).
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~ Thou shall not use the word revert to mean reply (when the hell did this start)
~ Thou shall not use texting shortcuts (i.e. g8 = great) in email.
~ Thou shall not liter, particularly thou shall not throw lit cigarettes from the car during bushfire season (saw that yesterday)
~ Thou shall not repeatedly sniff when in close proximity to a tissue
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When preparing for a meeting, thou shalt not use the phrase “let’s talk to this document.” WTF??! When did this become a thing? A document can’t talk back!!
It’s a bit cray cray
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’9. Thou shalt not use the words “rando” or “cray cray” if you are over 35.’
Whatevs, girlfriend.
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hahaaaa, I see what you did there.
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* Thou shalt not wear leggings as pants
* Thou shalt not do your makeup on public transport
* Thou shalt never use the word ‘fiance/fiancee’
* Thou shalt not recognise anything Kyle Sandilands says as intelligent
* Though shalt remember the word is ‘specifically’, not ‘pacifically’
* Thou shalt never say ‘panties’
* Crocs. No. Never.
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Love this post and agree with ALL of them!
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I have never understood the issue with make up on public transport Please Explain
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Some things are meant to be done in the privacy of your own bathroom. It’s just unclasp.
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unclassy…oops.
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“Thou shalt not do your makeup on public transport”
:: looks guilty ::
So, if the tram is out, is the tram *stop* still okay?
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Why can’t we use the word fiance/fiancee?
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Uh – because its vomitworthy?!
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In your opinion!
What are they supposed to be called then?
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I’d like to change that to ‘people will not be uptight about how others refer to their partner’!
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Thou shalt remember the word is ‘specifically’, not ‘pacifically’
It makes me laugh when people do this! I have a very intelligent colleague who puts forward well-founded arguments yet every time he says pacifically instead of specifically I have to fight the urge to giggle.
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Thou shalt not use the word “Hubby” cringe…….
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or “Huspoon” … I want to punch the computer when I read that on status updates!!
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Yes to all of these. My mother in law says ‘pacifically’ instead of ‘specifically’ and it shits me to tears.
I also think fiance is wanky, never used it when I was engaged and hated when people would ask me about my fiance and also don’t use ‘hubby.’ He’s my husband, that’s it.
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* Thou shalt remember the word is ‘ask’, not ‘aks’ (looking at you Beyonce)
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Ah I so agree with fiance, what a cringe-worthy word. I have been engaged for almost a year and have not said it once. I just can’t bring myself to say it. What is it about that word?
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What do you say instead, Jess?
I’m engaged. I personally have no issue with the word fiance, however I don’t want to say it now because it seems some people hate the word. I have avoided using partner as I’ve had people on 3 occasions assume it was a female partner (nothing wrong with being gay/lesbian, however I’m not). He’s not my boyfriend so I don’t use that… That leaves me with what? The guy I’m engaged to?
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Well I suppose in most situations I am only talking about him to people who know him so I just use his name. And on the rare occasion I am talking about him to a stranger I think I’ve said “partner” and “soon to be husband.”
I know it’s irrational but there’s just something about that word that I can’t stand.
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My betrothed?
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