I'm here, another day is gone

Jul 25, 2005 00:29

Improbability of the Week!

SCENE: Lydia sits, innocently as ever, at the counter at Bookstore X That Is Her Bookstore. Sunlight comes through the windows behind her, making no impression at all on the well-lit store. She is ringing up several customers ( Read more... )

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likeasailor July 25 2005, 07:46:48 UTC
Later she told me [...] it "just made sense" that I'd be behind the counter at said bookstore.

that is quite a compliment. you rock.

Sudden Poll! Is it possible to tell someone that they remind you of yourself when you were younger[...]?

[for simplicity, i ignored your other hypotheticals. they have the same answer.]

yes. my friend rachel once said i remind her of how she was a few years ago, and i think that is a grand compliment. i admire rachel, you see, and it's flattering that she identifies with me (or that she identifies a younger version of her self with me... you get the idea). then again, rachel is cool now, so i imagine she was younger when she was younger; additionally, she used a "man, [my life/i] was so cool that summer..." voice when she told me.

so basically, yes; you can do it in a non-patronizing way if the person likes you or if you were cool when you were younger.

if that makes any sense.

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dragonladyflame July 27 2005, 05:24:00 UTC
Well thank you.

And sure, it makes sense. As long as you meant to say "rachel is cool now so I imagine she was cool when she was younger".

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likeasailor July 27 2005, 07:25:38 UTC
erm, yes, that is what i was going for.

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whistle-blowing anonymous July 25 2005, 07:52:03 UTC
(1) those windows face north.

(2) it was not 110 today, at least not anywhere you were.

-Steven

p.s. yes the sun could shine from the north for a bit before sunset at this latitude at this time of year, but it would probably be blocked by buildings at that location.

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dragonladyflame July 27 2005, 06:00:51 UTC
1) Forgive my former misuse of the verb "to shine" and I'll forgive your inability to spell "crass".

2) I was told by two reputable sources that it was 110°, so I'm not ashamed. Have any evidence?

ps: Now that was characteristic.

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jadasc July 25 2005, 11:50:14 UTC
Is it possible to tell someone that they remind you of yourself when you were younger, or perhaps of someone else when they were younger, or whatever, without patronizing them?

Gods, I hope so. I did it only a few months ago.

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dragonladyflame July 27 2005, 05:40:05 UTC
Good. I'd hate to think I was the only one.

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unrequitedthai July 25 2005, 14:36:35 UTC
I dunno, what's patronizing? You can certainly say it in a complimentary fashion.

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dragonladyflame July 27 2005, 05:50:11 UTC
"to adopt an air of condescension toward : treat haughtily or coolly". Wow, I never actually looked that word up before; it's nice to know I never made any connotation errors or anything.

So I guess I feel like you can tell someone they resemble X in X's youth without patronizing them as long as you're doing it in the spirit of observation rather than as some sort of snide remark. Depending on who you are and what you think of the person you're comparing them to, though, it could easily reveal some kind of undercurrent of patronization within your own mind even if you didn't intend any.

(Amusingly enough, sheer curiosity has led me to discover that "condescension"'s dictionary definition is "patronizing attitude or behavior".)

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