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Cliffg37
Inner circle
Long Beach, CA
1983 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 10:30am
Don't you hate it sometimes when you are talking with someone and they respond to you with an old proverb? Sometimes I feel very cheap that rather than addressing my point or my issue that someone would lower themselves to a silly old saying that has little bearing on the real topic.
Example: "My boss told me I am a worthlss idiot that he wants to fire"
Proverb response: "sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never harm me!"
Here, one man is worried about his job, while the other completely ignores both the pain of a person of authority insulting him, and the financial concern about being fired. A response like "Hey man that sucks" doesn't help much, but it does show some empathy.
What are some other proverbs that really ought to be outlawed?
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right!
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Michael Baker
Inner circle
Near a river in the Midwest
8470 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 11:09am
So, you don't like the end result of a good proverb? Sour grapes??
~michael baker
The Magic Company
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Chessmann
Inner circle
My Dog Has Peed On
2762 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 5:06pm
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it." One of the all-time dumb sayings. Not to mention exceptionally condescending to a prospective buyer.
I had some numbskull tell me that when I inquired about the price of an antique swiss army-style knife. Looked him right in the eye and told him a) I'm sure I could pay for it right now should I desire to, and b) the price may be set higher than the item's actual value to me...and one doesn't know that until one ASKS!
Then he told me he couldn't tell me because it was only for disply, and he wasn't the owner/manager of the store, so he didn't even know what it was worth!
My ex-cat is named "Muffin". "Vomit" would be a better name for her. AKA "The Evil Ball of Fur".
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mastermindreader
V.I.P.
Seattle, WA
6073 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 6:14pm
Not exactly a proverb but the overdone cliche, "It is what it is," has to be one of the most annoying and lazy substitutes for a meaningful thoughtful answer that I've heard recently.
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MagicSanta
Inner circle
Northern Nevada
5846 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 6:50pm
I dislike the expression 'when one door closes another opens'. I was told that when my old company shut down, I replied 'sometimes when a door closes you are screwed'. Seems I was.
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S2000magician
Inner circle
Yorba Linda, CA
3597 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 9:05pm
The nice thing about proverbs is that there's one to fit essentially every situation, irrespective of the conclusion.
For every "Don't judge a book by its cover" there's a "The clothes make the man".
For every "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" there's an "Out of sight, out of mind".
For every "Opposites attract" there's a "Birds of a feather flock together".
BCIII
The Polite Side of Magic
Risk Mitigation Associates
Bottom Line Gurus
I took the Pledge
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balducci
Veteran user
Canada
378 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 9:14pm
"The customer is always right."
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
"We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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landmark
Inner circle
By now they've deleted all but
2908 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 9:42pm
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:14, balducci wrote:
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
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How come?
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
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critter
Inner circle
Spokane, WA
2334 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 10:05pm
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 18:14, mastermindreader wrote:
Not exactly a proverb but the overdone cliche, "It is what it is," has to be one of the most annoying and lazy substitutes for a meaningful thoughtful answer that I've heard recently.
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I consider it the American equivalent of c'est la vie. I also use it to avoid conversations about my personal life that I'm not ready for yet.
Ex.
-"Bro, I heard your girlfriend shot you in the knee. Sorry to hear that."
-"Thanks, man."
-"That must have really hurt your feelings."
-"Yeah, well, it is what it is."
I throw stuff.
Follow Critter on Twitter: @Critterdun
Ichi-go ichi-e
"Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage."
-Theodore Roosevelt
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Michael Baker
Inner circle
Near a river in the Midwest
8470 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 10:12pm
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:05, S2000magician wrote:
The nice thing about proverbs is that there's one to fit essentially every situation, irrespective of the conclusion.
For every "Don't judge a book by its cover" there's a "The clothes make the man".
For every "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" there's an "Out of sight, out of mind".
For every "Opposites attract" there's a "Birds of a feather flock together".
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Great observation, and quite true. The sour grapes reference I made opposes the sweet lemon stance.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, opposes, two heads are better than one, or many hands make light work.
I like it when familiar proverbs are warped.
If at first you don't succeed, give up... no sense making a fool out of yourself.
Don't count your chickens with a hatchet.
Don't judge a cook by his brother.
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends on the couch.
My favorite is when Dorothy Parker was asked to use the word 'horticulture' in a sentence... "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."
Brilliant!
~michael baker
The Magic Company
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balducci
Veteran user
Canada
378 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 10:28pm
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:42, landmark wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:14, balducci wrote:
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
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How come?
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Because there are stupid questions.
It may be good advice to be polite and act as though every question is a good or sensible one, but it is just politeness.
"We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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S2000magician
Inner circle
Yorba Linda, CA
3597 Posts
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Posted: Jun 3, 2012 11:00pm
Lots of teachers say that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
They're . . . um . . . wrong.
When I teach I tell my students that there are, in fact, stupid questions (e.g., if I just told them that the definition of a limit will be in the next exam, and then someone who wasn't listening asks if the definition of a limit will be on the next exam, that's a stupid question), but they're rarer than they might think.
BCIII
The Polite Side of Magic
Risk Mitigation Associates
Bottom Line Gurus
I took the Pledge
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Michael Baker
Inner circle
Near a river in the Midwest
8470 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 12:28am
There may not be any stupid question, but there seem to be a lot of inquisitive idiots.
~michael baker
The Magic Company
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MagicSanta
Inner circle
Northern Nevada
5846 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 1:12am
My dads only advice to me was:
If you are not in bed by nine o'clock you might as well go home.
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critter
Inner circle
Spokane, WA
2334 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 1:42am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-04 01:12, MagicSanta wrote:
My dads only advice to me was:
If you are not in bed by nine o'clock you might as well go home.
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Nice.
I throw stuff.
Follow Critter on Twitter: @Critterdun
Ichi-go ichi-e
"Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage."
-Theodore Roosevelt
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General_Magician
Elite user
United States
471 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 2:39am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 23:00, S2000magician wrote:
Lots of teachers say that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
They're . . . um . . . wrong.
When I teach I tell my students that there are, in fact, stupid questions (e.g., if I just told them that the definition of a limit will be in the next exam, and then someone who wasn't listening asks if the definition of a limit will be on the next exam, that's a stupid question), but they're rarer than they might think.
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I graduated college, but I argued with my teachers a lot and hated school. Flunked a few classes because the professors were idiots. Still kept arguing with them even after they flunked me. Too much BS to put up with from the professors and everybody else in school. If a professor doesn't like you, he is more than likely to just give you a bad grade rather than give you a fair shake. And the thing is, I mean, in this day and age, going to school is more like a sham. You graduate with thousands of dollars in debt that you will spend the rest of your life paying off and you can't declare bankruptcy on and the guys who are making all the money are the guys who dropped out of school, started their own companies, didn't even graduate school and are now running the country. The joke was on us who went to school. Sometimes, I think education is nothing more than a system of imposed ignorance.
Fortunately, some of us who are veterans had Uncle Sam to help us pay for college, but nobody should be required to serve in the military or have a 4.0 GPA with a 1600 SAT score just to go to school and graduate debt free. And when you work while in college (especially if you are studying a tough degree like engineering or computer science) your grades will suffer and you still will graduate with a lot of debt that you will be paying off for the rest of your life. Gee, sometimes I wonder if it's just better not bothering to go to school and just start your company rather than work for "the man" who treats you like some kind of expendable number anyways. You'll save yourself the headache from putting up with BS from the professors and you won't have to answer to "the man" who treats you like an expendable number and you can work for yourself and be your own man and your creativity and motivation won't be stifled by the boot of "the man" and the BS office politics that comes with working for "the man."
"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there is a light shining somewhere nearby." -unknown
Company Website
Facebook Business Page
Twitter Business Page
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seadog93
Inner circle
Berkeley CA
2710 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 2:54am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 18:14, mastermindreader wrote:
Not exactly a proverb but the overdone cliche, "It is what it is," has to be one of the most annoying and lazy substitutes for a meaningful thoughtful answer that I've heard recently.
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THANK YOU!!!
Would someone tell me what the F*** that even means!?
"It is what it is." Well, umm 'no **** Sherlock,' what the hell else would it be!?
I heard an interview with Dan White recently and he must have used that phrase a dozen times in 5 minutes. What I got from it was that he was basically saying "I don't know" or "we'll have to wait and see" or "I don't have an opinion either way."
AAHHH!!!
Will this feeling increase the older I get and the more new slang I here?
Will I just be walking around in my mandals, drinking punkershnapps and scratching my gear?
As for the original remark, I couldn't agree more. So often we don't need advice (which proverbs pretend to be) we need someone to hear us. More often than not we already, on some level at least, what we need to do and so often a quick piece of advice or glib saying is really just saying "I have no interest whatsoever in actually talking and connecting to you on any meaningful level, here's some advice now shut up and deal with it."
*** proverbs.
“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.” -Ben Hecht
Seadog = C-dawg = C.ourt.ney K.olb
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seadog93
Inner circle
Berkeley CA
2710 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 2:58am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:05, S2000magician wrote:
The nice thing about proverbs is that there's one to fit essentially every situation, irrespective of the conclusion.
For every "Don't judge a book by its cover" there's a "The clothes make the man".
For every "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" there's an "Out of sight, out of mind".
For every "Opposites attract" there's a "Birds of a feather flock together".
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I remember discussing this in social psychology.
So often social psychology is put down because the results seem so intuitive. There is a convenient cliche to express most of the findings, ...BUT people forget that there is a convenient cliche for the opposite as well.
“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.” -Ben Hecht
Seadog = C-dawg = C.ourt.ney K.olb
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landmark
Inner circle
By now they've deleted all but
2908 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 4:58am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 22:28, balducci wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:42, landmark wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:14, balducci wrote:
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
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How come?
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Because there are stupid questions.
It may be good advice to be polite and act as though every question is a good or sensible one, but it is just politeness.
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Another failed would-be landmark joke. 
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
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slyhand
Inner circle
Good ole Virginia
1750 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 7:04am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 22:28, balducci wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:42, landmark wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:14, balducci wrote:
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
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How come?
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Because there are stupid questions.
It may be good advice to be polite and act as though every question is a good or sensible one, but it is just politeness.
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I hear them at every magic lecture.
"Can you do it with a red deck?"
"Can you use a 5 dollar bill instead?"
"What if their name is George?"
Drives me nuts. (that's what the pirate said)
I am getting so tired of slitting the throats of people who say that I am a violent psychopath.
Alec
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Michael Baker
Inner circle
Near a river in the Midwest
8470 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 9:41am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-04 02:54, seadog93 wrote:
Will I just be walking around in my mandals, drinking punkershnapps and scratching my gear?
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Well... ignorance is bliss.
~michael baker
The Magic Company
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balducci
Veteran user
Canada
378 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 9:49am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-04 04:58, landmark wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 22:28, balducci wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:42, landmark wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:14, balducci wrote:
"There is no such thing as a stupid question."
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How come?
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Because there are stupid questions.
It may be good advice to be polite and act as though every question is a good or sensible one, but it is just politeness.
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Another failed would-be landmark joke.
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But did you notice how polite my response to your question was.
"We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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S2000magician
Inner circle
Yorba Linda, CA
3597 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 10:07am
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 09:41, Michael Baker wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 02:54, seadog93 wrote:
Will I just be walking around in my mandals, drinking punkershnapps and scratching my gear? |
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Well... ignorance is bliss. |
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Thank you, Thomas Gray.
(It is annoying that people have *******ized that quote.)
BCIII
The Polite Side of Magic
Risk Mitigation Associates
Bottom Line Gurus
I took the Pledge
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tommy
Eternal Order
Devil’s Island
13345 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 10:32am
Magic happens in the mind.
If that is the case then why buy a ticket when you can dream for nothing?
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy
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Michael Baker
Inner circle
Near a river in the Midwest
8470 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 10:58am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-04 10:07, S2000magician wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 09:41, Michael Baker wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 02:54, seadog93 wrote:
Will I just be walking around in my mandals, drinking punkershnapps and scratching my gear? |
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Well... ignorance is bliss. |
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Thank you, Thomas Gray.
(It is annoying that people have *******ized that quote.)
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There you go again, epitomizing the rest of the story! When in Rome... (wow, another proverb! )
~michael baker
The Magic Company
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S2000magician
Inner circle
Yorba Linda, CA
3597 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 11:12am
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 10:58, Michael Baker wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 10:07, S2000magician wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 09:41, Michael Baker wrote:
Quote:
| On 2012-06-04 02:54, seadog93 wrote:
Will I just be walking around in my mandals, drinking punkershnapps and scratching my gear? |
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Well... ignorance is bliss. |
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Thank you, Thomas Gray.
(It is annoying that people have *******ized that quote.) |
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There you go again, epitomizing the rest of the story! When in Rome... (wow, another proverb! ) |
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That'll be my new motto:
Don't compromise; epitomize!
BCIII
The Polite Side of Magic
Risk Mitigation Associates
Bottom Line Gurus
I took the Pledge
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Mr. Mystoffelees
Inner circle
I haven't changed anyone's opinion in
3363 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 11:15am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:05, S2000magician wrote:
The nice thing about proverbs is that there's one to fit essentially every situation, irrespective of the conclusion.
For every "Don't judge a book by its cover" there's a "The clothes make the man".
For every "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" there's an "Out of sight, out of mind".
For every "Opposites attract" there's a "Birds of a feather flock together".
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Brilliant- and funny!
I need to learn humility - then I will be perfect!
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critter
Inner circle
Spokane, WA
2334 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 11:15am
Quote:
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On 2012-06-04 02:58, seadog93 wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-06-03 21:05, S2000magician wrote:
The nice thing about proverbs is that there's one to fit essentially every situation, irrespective of the conclusion.
For every "Don't judge a book by its cover" there's a "The clothes make the man".
For every "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" there's an "Out of sight, out of mind".
For every "Opposites attract" there's a "Birds of a feather flock together".
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I remember discussing this in social psychology.
So often social psychology is put down because the results seem so intuitive. There is a convenient cliche to express most of the findings, ...BUT people forget that there is a convenient cliche for the opposite as well.
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Hindsight bias, aka The "I-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon.
I throw stuff.
Follow Critter on Twitter: @Critterdun
Ichi-go ichi-e
"Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage."
-Theodore Roosevelt
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Bill Nuvo
Inner circle
3094 Posts or
2744 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 1:33pm
"Do unto others...." and other such proverbs, expressions suggesting to treat others how you yourself would like to be treated. I find this is stated often when I am very open and honest and people take offense to being told the truth. Yeah, the truth can be uncomfortable, but I do appreciate it in the long run.
http://www.nuvoentertainment.com
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Bill Hilly
Elite user
450 Posts
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Posted: Jun 4, 2012 1:42pm
Hey Critter,
Aren't you going to quote my new favorite (or is that my favorite new) proverb?
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