I am a man who really appreciates the words as they are defined. Sometimes this causes problems when people presume what I mean based on their common experience with other humans who misuse certain phrases. One example: "I don't care." For many people this is a confusing phrase because it can mean "I am angry and therefor won't share my opinion" or "I'm passive aggressive and want YOU to make a decision" or "I'm too upset to think". When I say I don't care, it is commonly because I don't care.
Don't - verb - contraction of do not.
Care - verb (used without object) - to be concerned or have a special preference
When I say "I don't care" it means I really have no preference. Rarely do I have a deeper meaning, or secretly want you to say something or placate to me because you now think I am in a 'mood'. I seriously couldn't give a rat's ass about whatever incessant detail you've asked me about. Just make a damn decision already!
In a recent example I was talking with a very good friend of mine who was able to get me ranting about Apple products. For those who don't know I loath Apple products because of the way people use them. In the discussion I said something similar to "...their products are designed from the dumb-masses (notice the clever turn of phrase ;) ) ..." The response to that statement was a valid quick quip about why I don't have friends. What my friend and what I feel many people I talk with fail to see is that I said "the PRODUCTS are designed for the dumb-masses" I never said people who bought them were dumb, or that by purchasing one suggested they were stupid. I simply said that the design of the product was designed in such a way so as to appeal to the lowest common denominator. You can counter this argument by suggesting that I intended to correlate enjoying those products as being stupid but that's not necessarily the case and without context suggesting that was my intent it would be better to simply presume what I said is what I meant. If it was my intent to say "people who buy Apple products are stupid" I would have simply said that. In that entire discussion I commented on how Apple products were simplistic and sterilized, with little to offer someone who wants choice or more control over their electronics. I also commented on the social stereotypes and stigmas associated with Apple products and how many people have bought them to 'fit in'. One particular case that comes to mind is someone who cares so little about technology they find operating their iPhone difficult, but still own one because it's trendy to do so. I however never suggested that anyone who preferred Apple products were any less intelligent than another. Though I would say that they may be intellectually lazy because it is my opinion most haven't given alternative solutions a fair trial.
I'm certain it is likely my fault for failing to realize that few people take the time to think about what I say and try to understand it in the true intended context. However it's frustrating when the people I surround myself in life (which automatically have a high level of intelligence or I wouldn't have bothered attempted to converse with them anyway) automatically presume the 'common' meaning for my words rather than thinking more deeply about my intent. I'm sure that I will likely try to find a better compromise but alas expect this to be an ongoing issue in life.
Sorry Scott, but trying to "get" your point amidst a multitude of grammatical errors makes "understanding" what you are saying quite difficult. The irony of this is quite perplexing. Was this intentional?
ReplyDeleteWhen I post in anger/frustration I often make a greater number of mistakes, and my typical review and re-write processes doesn't happen. As a result these posts tend to be wrought with simple errors, sentences that switch gears in the middle, and disorganized paragraph structures. When I go back and re-read these sorts of posts I usually just shake my head in shame and debate if correcting the errors will corrupt my original work as it commonly leads to complete re-writes from a very different emotional state/mood.
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