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Yeah, I often think that "just" is code for "I assume everybody else's experience is exactly like mine". I had a period of significant back problems and I can't
by wpietri 3y ago
Yeah, I often think that "just" is code for "I assume everybody else's experience is exactly like mine". I had a period of significant back problems and I can't count the number of people who said, "Why don't you just..." and then pop off with something painfully obvious. I never actually shouted, "Oh, having just arrived on the turnip truck, I was unaware of stretching. Thanks so much!" But damn, I sure did consider it.
- OccamsMirror 3y agoI like to ask people how to spell said obvious thing. “Oh cool thanks for the suggestion. Yoga huh. Never heard of it. How do you spell it?” Try to maintain composure for as long as possible.
- hinkley 3y agoSleet? Isn’t that frozen rain? How would I make it sleet more?
- NamTaf 3y agoAgreed. 'Just' is code for 'I don't understand the nuances of the topic at hand' in my books too, and it was here on HN in particular that I came to realise that. I now actively try to avoid using that turn of phrase, and when I catch myself about to say/saying it, I check myself and remind myself that I'm also susceptible to this blind spot.
- bumby 3y agoA former boss had a little sign on his desk that said "All you gotta do is..." as a reminder that seemingly simple solutions are often devoid of the necessary nuance and understanding of the problem.
- wpietri 3y agoTotally. "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." -- H. L. Mencken
- hinkley 3y agoYou’d think we would know better. The old adage, “the worst beginning to a sentence is, ‘Why can’t you just…’” is something we understand viscerally. Seemingly doesn’t stop us from doing it to others.
- hinkley 3y ago“Just exercise, and get more sleep.” Depressed people often deal with intrusive thoughts. The last thing you want is someone lying in bed, alone, while everyone else is asleep, entertaining those thoughts. One of the archetypes of depression+sleep disturbance is people staying awake until they are absolutely exhausted and then collapsing into a sleep that the apocalypse could not rouse them from. That’s not a bad habit, it’s a coping mechanism.
- namtab00 3y agoehm, I feel violated. I wonder how many share this plight.. that deep sleep you described is something else... it's what I call my petit mort (and yes, that's an intentional misnomer).
- tzm 3y agoNow I'm curious about the psychology of Nike's "Just Do It" slogan.