With All Due Respect

We (human beings) are an interesting lot--especially when it comes to our vocabulary. We/they combine some of the strangest words to express ourselves (profanity and the like). Take the phrase: "It's colder than h*** out there!" Does that really make sense? And yet, people understand exactly what you're talking about. It's not just cold...it's REALLY cold. How did inserting that one word make that comment more understandable or imply a more sever degree of "coldness?"

Even more interesting, is how disengenuious we can be in our converstations. Think about some of the possible responses to these questions/statements:

• Does this dress make me look fat?
• Do you think she's pretty? (Men, don't answer this one if your wife asks)
• Have you read [fill in book title here] or seen [fill in movie title here]? I loved it!
• Does my hair look OK like this?
• What do you think about or how do you feel about so-and-so?

In some cases, you may answer honestly, but may not be quite as "harsh" VERBALLY in comparsion to what you are thinking. In some cases, you may just flat-out lie.

I'm thinking about words and honesty here because of a blog I was reading yesterday. A fairly civil "debate" suddenly turned ugly when one commentor wrote (in response to a previous statement) something like: "With all due respect..." and then proceeded to tear into the guy like a monkey on a cupcake! As I read the post, I thought, "This guy is showing absolutely NO respect! In fact, it's obviuos that was never his intention." When someone begins a sentence/statment with "with all due respect," you can pretty much bet you're not going to get any--respect. Same thing goes for...

To be honest...Red flag!!! Most of the time, the sub-title to this statement should be: "Normally when I talk to you, I'm lying, but TODAY, I'm telling you the truth." Maybe we should approach this from the opposite angle and just say: "Well, to bald-face lie to you..."

Bless his/her heart...Let's face it. Most of the time this phrase is used, it's because we've just ripped someone apart and we're trying to recover the conversation or at least end on a high note. Years ago, I worked with a guy that was in his 50's and still lived with his mother. She called him every day at work, and ever day they would get into some kind of argument on the phone. They'd raise their voices (you could hear her on the other end) and within minutes he'd be slamming the phone into its cradle. EVERY TIME he hung up on his mom, he'd exclaim: "That b**ch!" Followed by: "Bless her heart." I guess that made it alright.

No offense, but...RIGHT! A conversation that starts out like this IS going to offend you. That's a fact.

In my humble opinion...Actually, I am NOT humble about my opinion. I believe I am right, that I am the absolute authority on this subject, and you are a blithering idiot!

With all due respect and to be perfectly honest, this is my humble opinion. Bless your hearts.

 

¹ dis·in·gen·u·ous adj. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating