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> See, for instance, the forms of phrase "with all due respect","bless your heart", and "oh you sweet summer child". Full of respect, kindness, and compassion.
by lordnacho 7y ago
> See, for instance, the forms of phrase "with all due respect","bless your heart", and "oh you sweet summer child". Full of respect, kindness, and compassion.
This basically means you are due no respect, your heart is black as charcoal, and you are as naive as a child.
Source: many years living among the British.
- Angostura 7y ago"With all due respect" can mean 'you're not worthy of any respect, but plyed with a straight bat, it means "I'm about to disagree with you strongly and in a way that might jeopardise my career, but I have to say this, please don't take it as a personal attack'.
- TheOtherHobbes 7y agoUsually that reduces to "I think you're an idiot, and here's why." I think these constructions are fascinating. They're accepted as barely disguised aggression, used in situations where outright aggression might spiral out of control. But they actually work. Even though everyone understands what they really mean, they're far less likely to lead to escalation than less polite forms.
- danaris 7y agoI believe that was more or less his point.
- mattkrause 7y ago“Bless your heart” in the Southern US does not mean you’re amoral. The implication is that you failed at something because you are so pitiably stupid or incompetent that failure was inevitable. For example, you would not say “bless your heart” to someone who had already cheated you, but you might use it to suggest that you see through their scheme: “Bless your heart, but I’m not paying $10000 for a rusted-out Toyota.” “God love ‘em” works similarly but mostly in the third person, as in “Did you taste the [awful] food he brought? Bless his heart/God love ‘em.”
- selimthegrim 7y agoSee for example, the LA governor’s recent use of the phrase towards Trump who had supported his opponent unsuccessfully in the elections