Random thoughts on perception

Published on September 22, 2005 By momijiki In Personal Relationships

Is perception really everything?

How much responsibility do we have for how others see us? How many of us have ever thought, "how the heck did that person get THAT idea about me?"

Obviously, what we see of a person on a blog or at any given time, is most likely only a facet of that person.

And I have had some of the most bizarre reactions from people on blog sites.

Generally, I don't respond often on people's blogs because I seem to have this amazing ability to piss people off. If I haven't pissed you off yet, sorry. I'll do my best to get to you later.

Mainly, if I respond, I like to keep it light or point out the other side of a coin for people to consider (unless I'm talking about clothes....)

But rants and sarcasm are very delicate things. Rants being like and open sore, that for some reason we feel compelled to show. I don't know what it is about ouchies that get us to do that. Need for sympathy? I guess so, which is why commenting on a rant makes for a tricky business. Often the person wants to rant and doesn't want anything but unconditional sympathy.

Sarcasm the ultimate delicate weapon. Nothing can rip open a delicate sore more efficiently than sarcasm wielded poorly. Hit a rant with a club and it's easy to ignore. Poke it with some poorly and heavily wielded sarcam and things rip wide open. Sarcasm wielded expertly probes or little ouchies but often can cause us to think or have a laugh.

And this brings me back to perception. If you are always ranting, you are going to be percieved as a negative person. You may have the warmest fuzziest heart alive, but how can people know it if you hide it behind a ranty facade. And especially here, you are ONLY your words. You may express gestures of kindness (or unkindness) here, you may write interesting thoughts, but these WORDS will create your image here.

There's no real facial expression or body language to soften the sting of a saracastic blow. Many "masters" of sarcasm don't realize the only reason people still talk to them is the fact that in a face to face interaction, others can "see" what is really meant.

And if we rant, we have to expect to get the "suck it up you whiney sot" comments as often as the sympathetic.

sorry.... but I did say random... sleepy....

..... can't drink coffeee....................... must sleeeee....p

Comments

foreverserenity

on Sep 22, 2005

An insightful blog. You really shoudn't sleep, you think pretty well while "walking on your eyelash" as we say in my culture!

momijiki

on Sep 23, 2005

"walking on your eyelash" as we say in my culture

I love that expression! I will have to remember it. What culture does it come from?

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