My Pet Peeve
I think I've mentioned this before. I probably have a list of pet peeves longer than most, since I'm a rather crotchety old guy, but on occasion some stand out a little more than others. On the subject of general human nature, there is one thing that will tick me off quicker than stepping on a tack. When someone says, "You (They) must have too much time on your (their) hands". This, friends, will PUSH...MY...BUTTON!
Granted, most people don't mean it to the extreme that I take it, but nevertheless it is a statement that should never be uttered. If you find that you have just GOT to say it, it should be reserved for, let's say, your unproductive children or your downtrodden, submissive spouse. When you say, "You must have too much time on your hands", you open yourself and all that you do to judgment by others. Here's why:
Granted, most people don't mean it to the extreme that I take it, but nevertheless it is a statement that should never be uttered. If you find that you have just GOT to say it, it should be reserved for, let's say, your unproductive children or your downtrodden, submissive spouse. When you say, "You must have too much time on your hands", you open yourself and all that you do to judgment by others. Here's why:
- If you have nothing better to do than stand around and judge someone's handiwork that means so much to them and say "You must have too much time on your hands", then it is obvious that "YOU must have too much time on your hands".
- If you don't think the video that someone took the time and effort to put on YouTube isn't entertaining (even though the person showing it to you thinks it's entertaining) and you say "they must have too much time on their hands" yet you are standing there watching it..."You must have too much time on your hands".
- If you think the artist whose work you don't understand or appreciate has "too much time on their hands"...au contraire. I believe "You must have too much time on your hands." What have you produced other than a million cubic feet of methane gas?
- If you think that TV has nothing more to offer than "Gilligan's Island" and "Mama's Family" because that's the only thing you have ever watched and perhaps you don't understand how to change the channel...then we, the umpteen zillion TV watchers out here that enjoy the Science Channel, The History Channel, Discovery, The Health Channel, The Smithsonian Channel, etc., think perhaps you haven't made much effort to educate yourself and, obviously, "You must have too much time on your hands".
- If someone has taken the time to thoroughly research a subject that is way over your head and spend their time explaining it to you because you indicated that you were interested but it just went in one of your big misshaped ears and out the other before you spew, "You must have too much time on your hands!"...obviously, my brain-atrophied friend, "You must have too much time on your hands".
- If you think your work ethic is far greater than others because you are basically a slow worker, spending hour upon hour, steadily working but can't tell the difference between important work and busy work, yet you find the time to criticize someone else's production...then, I think, "You must have too much time on your hands."
- If you read this and are insulted because you take it personally even though you're sitting there reading this "worthless blog" that has no social value whatsoever, perhaps "You have too much time on your hands."
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