(no subject)

[slemslempike]

Have I mentioned recently how much I hate "let me explain"? I do. Every time I see it in an article I become slightly more rageous than I was before and am filled with rather more disdain for the author than was previously the case. I am perfectly happy for you to explain things, sometimes that is even why I am reading the article in the first place! But there is no need to effing signpost that you are about to explain something, and to write as though you are having a cosy chat with the reader who has just expressed mild disbelief at what you have just said. I WASN'T SURPRISED. STOP EFFING ACTING AS THOUGH I AM SURPRISED AND YOU HAVE BLOWN MY MIND. This example from The Toast:

"As a matter of fact, there are actually very good reasons to think that neither Shakespeare nor Ichabod should be speaking with what we currently think of as a “British” accent at all. What? Yes, really. Let me explain."

I DIDN'T SAY "WHAT". BECAUSE THIS IS NOT NEW INFORMATION. AND EVEN IF IT WERE NEW TO ME THEN IT IS NOT EXACTLY WORLD-CHANGING. ALSO "LET ME EXPLAIN" PRETENDS THAT THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN DO TO STOP YOU WHEN CLEARLY YOU DECIDED ON THIS DEVICE A WHILE AGO AND MY ANGER DOES NOTHING. If this were a seldom-used technique I would mostly be able to skate over it (I could never like it), but it comes up so often that I am unable to ignore it.

I am quite pleased to find that I still have pointless rage left. I used to hate-read someone's journal (that sounds mean, but he was a hateable, pretentious, open-source-boob-project-creating twat), and then I made myself stop for a while, and now I just skim over the posts on friendsfriends without even a flicker of interest in making my blood boil. More grown-up, and probably more productive, but nonetheless a sense of loss in my life.

I forgot to say yesterday that I bought the Cazalets book from Hive, which is an online book shop where all the orders are fulfilled by a local independent book shop (mine came from a shop in the basement of a church on Prince's Street). It's free standard shipping or you can arrange pick up, and they have some discounts too. Perfect if like me you felt vague guilt at still using Amazon when they were so evil, but only really got the push to leave when their free shipping minimum went up. The order arrived very quickly as well, I recommend them!

(I haven't heard back from the jobs I applied for. These are the first ones I went for after I got feedback on my competency examples and revised accordingly, so I am slightly hopeful but mostly despairing. I hear back about the next state of the promotion board next week.)

Comments

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that 'Let me explain' hadn't really struck me (though I'm sure it will, now). The one that is currently annoying me in speech is "Look, [...]" - often used by politicians, but also (to my great annoyance) by a writer at an event I attended recently. It's a bit like a shortened form of "Let me explain", in its suggestion that I wouldn't know where to look, or, indeed, how to think, without the lengthy explanation that is about to follow...

One of my favourite Cambridge bookshops is part of Hive, too! (David's bookshop, opposite The Haunted Bookshop.) I've never investigated it, though - I will!

Fingers crossed for some positive news on the jobs...

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Urgh, yes, I have also noticed 'look...' from politicians. I hate the way it a) presupposes disagreement from the listener, b) indicates that the speaker is saying something controversial, and c) comes across enragingly schoolteachery. STOP IT. I do not know how they are not aware how effing patronising it comes across.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I have thought of another one! "Do you not think..." from people in general conversation. If I think it, then I would say so! If something I have said contradicts that, then clearly that is not what I think! What you really mean is "I think, and I think you should think too...".

The worst part is that I'm pretty sure I say it myself.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Hive seems great, not quite the range on Amazon, but then what I really want is somewhere I can get standard books easily, cheaply, and while supporting local shops. Hurray!

Ooh, I hadn't really noticed "look" - like you with let me explain, though, I bet I will now. I think I am inured to it with politicians by now, but a writer would be very irritating.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I say "Look, ..." and can't seem to stop myself doing it, despite the terrible effect it generally has on the conversation.

What it generally means from me is "I am quite angry but am attempting to suppress the rageflail because I feel that using words is probably the better thing to do." What I should actually say instead is "Can we talk about this another time?" and go and sit by myself for five minutes, because if the most reasonable thing I can think of to say starts with "Look, ...", I am not going to get my point across at this point anyway. I don't think that approach would work in political speeches, though.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I totally do it too! I find that the annoying things about politicians using it is more the patronising idea that they are being reasonable. Whereas if you're using "look" to mean "I am pissed off now" then it would not annoy me particularly.

[felinitykat]

Ooh thanks for the Hive tip, I've not seen them before.

Agree with you on all the patronising and infuriating subtext beneath "Let me explain". I am not quite as enraged as you, but certainly annoyed.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Look, if you think about it properly you'll be as enraged as I am. Let me explain - IT'S HORRENDOUS.

I am so glad that Hive are making it easy for me to do better than using Amazon. I am also guilty that I wasn't prepared to make the effort before, but there you are.

[zoje-george.livejournal.com]

Can we add "What you've got to remember/understand is..." to the list of rageful intros?

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I read that and thought "huh, I don't think that's annoying", then I remembered all the contexts in which it can happen and YES, WE DEFINITELY CAN.