Menu
By:
Filters
What's new

Here is an open challenge to anyone who wants it.

Well, I'm pretty sure I can pull it off at work (where I actually interact with people) because I tend to do my own thing. I banter some with my friends, but it wouldn't be a stretch to take the shitty-ness out of the convo I'm guessing.
 
Maybe the people here are way too nice or something, but I hardly hear any sarcastic comments in public.
With my friends we use it all the time, but with other fokes sarcasm isn't my way oif communicating.
Guess I'm pretty straight forward.
Will pay more attention to it though ;)
 
First day back at work and this challenge is cake. I can ignore or not respond to the regular crap talk and no one thinks its weird. I do kinda have the reputation of "I don't care about what people think of me, they don't sign my paychecks". It's not that weird for me to ignore crap from people.
 
Baldoraxx said:
Thats how i am pretty much everyday. Just throw it right back at them. But i think Tristan was getting at was we need to challenge ourselves to not be whitty or sarcastic back and see if we can do it or not. I tried the challenge today and it is harder than it sounds. I'm gonna try again tomorrow.
Click to expand...


I wouldnt survive in my career atmosphere like that. Besides its part of my personality and I don't do it to strangers, which is the topic of the thread really.
 
Zakis said:
I wouldnt survive in my career atmosphere like that. Besides its part of my personality and I don't do it to strangers, which is the topic of the thread really.
Click to expand...


I disagree. I think everyone can do it. Like everything it is a choice. And we choose to make this a social norm. Just like fucked up acronyms that are easier to type out.
 
tr1age said:
This Sunday I went to a Memorial Day event. It was kinda chilly that day, not winter coat style, but a light jacket was almost too much but in the shade it was amazing.

So, I like this jacket I got in California. It is fake leather, with a hood attached, no actual sweatshirt in the center, so it stays cool but works great on days just like Saturday was. Plus it is stylish and I figured meeting my friends friends, BBQ, not completely casual but comfy nice.

Anyway, with that stage set and the mindset I was in, I get there and BAM insult after insult:

"What are you cold?"
"Why the fuck are you wearing a leather jacket, it is hot out?!"
"Really? A leather jacket?"

If I took it off:

"I think you should get your jacket, getting a little cold"
"If you had your jacket you would have made that(playing a game)"
"Finally took the jacket off? Isn't that better?"

I could go on, but it wasn't just teasing, it was literally a barrage of insults, flying from their mouths with smiles on their faces. And I couldn't believe it really. I was taken aback. And like a fucking idiot I am sitting there defending myself through:

"Well it is light, feel it! Seriously!"
"Look I have my jacket on, deal with it!"
"Look I took it off, happy now?"
"Are you cold now?(when I saw someone shiver when it actually got cold so I was getting my revenge)"


Because I went to another BBQ with a Russian family a few weeks back, and I wore the exact same jacket. And it was even hotter. They either complimented the jacket, or said JACK SHIT, and worried about the BBQ, fun, and lively conversation.

So I know this is a human condition thing more than an American vs European thing, but at the same time it is exactly what it is MMMERIICA.

So here is what I am challenging you to: How can you actively go through the day without popping off some smirky, snarky, or "sarcastic" joke at someone else's expense? Sarcastic these days seems to imply, I can insult you with no repercussions. I am a huge proponent of the sarcastic comments and the small quips here and there at your toes. I do it as much as anyone. And I guess for some reason this one time it REALLY stood out to me. So why not, instead of taking up so much air with shit that is meaningless and potentially hurtful, you think of one nice thing you can say to someone.

I bet you get weirder looks when you do that as well. So do me a favor, share you experiences here if you do it. How do people react to you turning the tables on their remarks and being nice in return? Do they apologize, loose eye contact, attack harder, shut up, or think you are trying to be clever?

Good luck! This message will not self destruct, it will actually help to build relationships and personal interactions with those around you.
Click to expand...

I probably would have replied with something like, "Hey this coat is sexy! Your mom would be proud to have skin this supple."

In all seriousness though, if you find that there are some folks that do it a LOT then odds are they have quite a few insecurities of their own. Yeah, some of it can be related to subculture, environment, generational norms, etc, but it's one thing to rib a buddy over something dumb that they did (hell I try to rib myself before they can when I do it just so they don't get the satisfaction), but it's quite another to give someone shit for no apparent reason and make them feel stupid. That's just Grade AA D-Baggery IMHO.

If a friend of yours does something dumb, laugh and enjoy it, but make them feel good about their screw up by letting them know that it was epic, awesome, unreal, etc and share it with others with the intent that it is a memory and experience that you cherish, not one that is used to embarrass them. Make them be a positive center of attention. Here's a real-world situation that happened a few years back:

A friend of mine (let's call him Andy - because that's his name) had a one of the most epic tantrums I've ever witnessed during a game of Settlers one night. It was him, my sister, her boyfriend at the time, and me. He was about to win the game and everyone knew it, but he couldn't get anyone to trade with him for obvious reasons. Well, I ended out stealing the Longest Road achievement out from under him and won the game. He instantly went into that rant. To this day I wish I would have recorded it because he would be a YouTube god. When it was done we were all silent for a few moments b'c he was clearly pissed and nobody knew how to react to his tirade. So I did what I like to do, which is find humor in tough situations, and just busted out laughing. This made him visibly upset at first but when I said things like "that was awesome" and "that was the best rant ever" with a positive tone, it essentially empowered him and now he jokes about it and brings it up himself to this day.

So I guess what I'm getting at is focus on making people feel good about themselves, because in the end it's not really what you say, but how you make them feel. That's what they remember.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom