Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Always-Never-All
Have you ever noticed how people tend to exaggerate when they’re annoyed or angry? Standing in line at the bank the other day I heard the woman behind me talking on her cell phone to, I assumed, her husband and taking him to task for “always forgetting to stop at the bank.” I’m sure he did stop at the bank from time to time, but I suppose that using the word “always” helped her deal with her frustration.
All of us are guilty of dispersing emphasis when we feel we have a right to do so. We use words like “always”, “never” and “all” as if they seal the truth of whatever statement we’re making: You never pay attention; You’re always late. All politicians are corrupt; etc.
It’d be nice if we could deal with our annoyances without amplifying— or even lying if we’re honest with ourselves. People do pay attention most of the time; it may not seem so, but only some politicians are corrupt; and no one is ever late all the time. The problem is that we don’t take time to assess our statements. A man I know who teaches English as a second language to adults does his part to enlighten his students so they are aware of blanket statements not only when writing but also when speaking. He encourages them to take the time to see when “often”, “sometimes”, and “some” should be used instead of generalizing.
A comedian I saw recently has based a whole act on the premise of descriptive words. Here is a sample of what he said: “I’d be correct to say that I never win the lottery, but I’d also be right to say that I always buy tickets! A young lady I know will always be pretty, but thankfully I’ll never be uglier! My wife commented the other day that all men are alike. All men? How in hell did she find out?”
Never stop laughing! That will always be the right choice for all of us.