Fighting 101 - via instant messenger
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Have you ever tried to argue with someone over the instant messenger?
I have. It's really hard.
What is the equivalent of slamming the door? Really? I want to know.
Is it smacking that return key really hard? Only, they don't hear how hard I am smacking that key, so they don't get that I am mad at them.
So then I YELL AT THEM IN ALL CAPS. Only they think I just forgot to take the caps lock off. (oh! look! she's so cute... she forgot to take the CAP lock off...) And they are still clueless.
So then I resort to ALL CAPS WITH A DIFFERENT COLOR... POSSIBLY RED... BECAUSE RED MEANS POWER... AND ANGER... AND MORE POWER...
Only they think I am just being colorful and all trendy fun because I am talking in ALL CAPS that are in RED.
So, now I am really mad. I am not just hitting the return key hard, I am pounding it, slapping that sucker and its still not being communicated that I am seething mad.
I resort to taking those ALL CAPS that are RED and making them insanely LARGE. Because for sure, now they will know that I am angry...
Nope.
Oblivious.
Clueless.
They have to go. They can't "chat" anymore... and I am left seething. All over a simple "Oh. I forgot."
If I had taken the time to actually communicate with my actual human voice... Well then I wouldn't have needed to type in RED ALL CAPS that were insanely LARGE...
You see, sometimes things are REALLY misinterpreted when you instant message (or text). I meant one thing, but they heard another... and it was all dependent on the mood that we each were in when we read the messages.
(This is why I wish for the love of all things holy that teenagers would quit texting and start speaking-- either face to face or the dumb phone!)
I still wish there was a way for them to hear how loudly I am slamming that return key though, don't you??
I have. It's really hard.
What is the equivalent of slamming the door? Really? I want to know.
Is it smacking that return key really hard? Only, they don't hear how hard I am smacking that key, so they don't get that I am mad at them.
So then I YELL AT THEM IN ALL CAPS. Only they think I just forgot to take the caps lock off. (oh! look! she's so cute... she forgot to take the CAP lock off...) And they are still clueless.
So then I resort to ALL CAPS WITH A DIFFERENT COLOR... POSSIBLY RED... BECAUSE RED MEANS POWER... AND ANGER... AND MORE POWER...
Only they think I am just being colorful and all trendy fun because I am talking in ALL CAPS that are in RED.
So, now I am really mad. I am not just hitting the return key hard, I am pounding it, slapping that sucker and its still not being communicated that I am seething mad.
I resort to taking those ALL CAPS that are RED and making them insanely LARGE. Because for sure, now they will know that I am angry...
Nope.
Oblivious.
Clueless.
They have to go. They can't "chat" anymore... and I am left seething. All over a simple "Oh. I forgot."
If I had taken the time to actually communicate with my actual human voice... Well then I wouldn't have needed to type in RED ALL CAPS that were insanely LARGE...
You see, sometimes things are REALLY misinterpreted when you instant message (or text). I meant one thing, but they heard another... and it was all dependent on the mood that we each were in when we read the messages.
(This is why I wish for the love of all things holy that teenagers would quit texting and start speaking-- either face to face or the dumb phone!)
I still wish there was a way for them to hear how loudly I am slamming that return key though, don't you??
