I have a vague memory of using the above phrase as the ultimate put-down at some point in my childhood. I probably got it from television, but I also had a much-older sister from whom I was constantly fending off verbal blows, so it may have come from her.
Anyway, the point is, too many of us radiate all the warmth of those words too often in our daily dealings with others. It's the information age, and everyone seems to compete to be just a little brighter and smarter and have more facts than the next person. The problem comes when we begin to club a well-meaning party with all of our brain power and .zip files.
I don't think it's done intentionally most of the time. I myself have a bad habit - self-defense mechanism from that elder sister - of swearing I'm right and you're wrong. But I've had to learn to scale that back as much as possible; I now can be found in social situations chewing my nails as someone presents absolute hogwash as fact. "If you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all," my mother drilled into me. Thanks, Mom. I've been a lovely doormat for years.
I think that's why I'm so sensitive when I see this phenomenon occurring over and over again. Someone ventured a dim memory of an event from long ago during a conversation lately, and another person adamantly slammed back that the foggy memory was just wrong, wrong, wrong, and here's the documentation to back it up. Upon hearing of this, my first response was my one son's favorite word: seriously? Does it matter any more? What is gained by making another soul feel like an idiot?
Is it any wonder that so many of us, me included, have no self-esteem, no self-confidence, no desire to socialize any more where we don't feel comfortable? My philosophy at this point in my life is kick me once, shame on you, kick me twice, shame on me. Sometimes it's just easier (and doesn't lose you a friend) if you just take your roller skates and go home to that proverbial corner.
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