Wednesday, December 12, 2007

that's (not) what she said

lumping things together into thematic sets makes life so much easier for those of us who are easily overwhelmed. however, lumping together a series of miscommunications as a thematic "event" can be rather overwhelming.

"communication breakdown" is the ultimate relationship/corporate speak-ese. however, we get to practice this way of conversing (or not) when we are still young enough to "snack" from our own noses. "chinese whispers" (the not so ethnically appropriate descriptor), or what americans call "telephone" is heard on playgrounds the world over. where my earliest confessions that "my brother is a big farter" morphed into "my mother has a big heart". my plan to embarrass and humiliate the bain of my life wound up embarrassing me as a "mummy's girl".

as adults, we are certainly no better at listening, or our filter is just set to "high" (er), because there is so much more to track/follow up on/pencil in/analyze/monitor/explore/assess/oversee/diversify/tabulate/regulate/approve/test/audit/survey. combine this with a "national enquirer" tinted lens, and co-workers/spouses/peers shift from fairly boring individuals to emotionally capricious ninja's with a penchant for most 'verb+ ism's'.

this past week i would quite like to have dispensed a few "chinese burns" (after all was said, re-said and done).

2 comments:

mansuetude said...

I think maybe we are all just overloaded with words and images, both from outside us and from our yearnings within--its no wonder we aren't all fritzed with our hair sticking up like struck by lightning... word for word, it gets buy !

ALF said...

We call it the office rumor mill and it is the WORST!