Please bear with me. I realize what I'm about to say is a fool's errand. I'm here to combat the abuse of language today. I'm not a prime expert on language, but I do listen.

Would people on television and the radio be able to speak if they didn't use "You know" and "I mean"? You can win most bets if you wager that the first or second sentence you hear on the air every time will have "you know" and/or "I mean" in them. Try it. The next show you turn on, see if that's the first thing you hear.

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