Every day we interact with people, some by choice and some by obligation. Some conversations are unavoidably difficult but some annoying conversations and confusing phrases can and should be prevented.
Here are 5 phrases I propose we stop using.
*Full disclosure some of these are just things I personally hate and find annoying so maybe this won’t start a petition on Change.org but you have to admit I am entertaining. 🙂
This is so sad. Want to see?
No, I don’t want to see. Why you trying to bring me down? Get your depressing ass away from me and my sparkling personality and sunny disposition. Okay maybe that sounds slightly dramatic but you have to wonder why we think basically saying, “What I want to share with you will probably result in you feeling negative emotions… interested?” Maybe say, “Wow this is deep. Check it out.” “This youtube video is touching. Wanna see it?”
Related phrase you should consider banning:
This smells gross. Here smell it….
Ummm no I‘ll take your word for it.
You’re a guy/girl right?
You may be reading this like, “Dia, what are you talking about?” Well allow me to set the stage. A girl walks into to a bar (cue dirty joke) and she’s mad at her boyfriend, male boss, brother, guy best friend (insert male pronoun here), or whatever. She sits down at the bar and the bartender comes over to take her order and she explodes, “You’re a guy right? Why do men always…” First of all when people start their rants to me, “You’re a girl, right?” The sarcastic side of me (which currently accounts for about 70% of my sparkling personality) automatically wants to respond, “What gave it away the breasts or lack of penis? “Then they go on and start asking the person why their entire gender does the particular thing that is pissing them off. Come on people it’s 2015! People are a little more complex than their gender characteristics. Asking a perfect stranger why someone did something is like asking a magic 8 ball if you’ll live past 80…. it’s literally a random guess.
Related phrase you should consider banning:
How come all (white, black, gay, etc) do….?
Chances are they all don’t.
You look tired.
Well now that you mention it, I am tired and now slightly self-conscious about my current appearance. Thanks for that.
There is literally no good way to take that statement.
I’ve never had anyone be like, “Girl them bags under your eyes are sexy, I just have to have you!”
Or for that matter no one has ever told me, “I wish I could get my eyes to do that red and dead thing your eyes are doing right now! That’s so natural I could spend an hour doing my makeup and I’d never look that worn out and exhausted.”
Related phrase you should consider banning:
You sound horrible!
Yeah I feel that way too but I’m out of sick days, so how about you stop making me use what little voice I do have to explain that I’m obviously losing my voice.
It could be worse.
I know it could be worse! At no point during my rant about how my boyfriend is being an idiot did I say, “This is the worst thing in the history of the world. Who cares about the holocaust or slavery, my boyfriend forgot my birthday!”
Now this one I hate! I mean down to my core. To the point I even hate the reverse of it. When one of my friends is upset about something and then they feel bad for complaining because, “It could be worse.”
Any situation could be worse if we’re honest, but that doesn’t make your feelings less important. You have every right to be upset/disappointed from time to time as long as it doesn’t control you.
Related phrase you should consider banning:
Look on the bright side!
We just put fluffy in the ground, can I maybe check out the bright side tomorrow.
How are you?
Think about it. How often does someone follow their, “Hello,” with “how are you?” Now how often do you feel like they actually mean it? Like they want to know how YOU are doing? What’s going on with Beth? How are things in Beth’s world? Probably less than 10 percent. It’s not that all people are uncaring and fake,(granted most of us are slightly narcissistic and constantly in our own heads) it’s just that it’s become a generic expected part of conversation like, “Hello” or “let’s do lunch.”
My main problem with it is, no really expects or wants any answer besides, “Fine and you.” That’s not human connection; it’s just human formality.
As someone who worked in a call center I can’t even tell you how many times people will ask, “How are you” and then jump into their next sentence before you even can think to answer.
My other problem is I’m a bit of an emotional person and there has been times this question has been the onset to an emotional eruption. So maybe just stick to specific questions you actually want the answer to.
Related phrase you should consider banning:
Tell me about yourself.
Even if you really want to know the answer, I’m sorry, but get the fuck out of here with that broad ass question!
About myself? I’m a borderline alcoholic with an addictive personality who curses way too much and has daddy issues…. Oh, you meant like where am I from and shit?…Yeah, I’m from Texas.
What are some expressions or phrases you think people need to stop saying? (YOLO and SWAG not need apply.)
Karen
“Bae”. This needs to stop immediately. I’m tired of people referring to each other as “shit” and thinking it’s the most awesome thing in the world. They just look stupid.
Dia
Bae is something I agree should stop!