Friday, October 26, 2007

The Shoulds

You know what they are. They're all the gratuitous, unhelpful, obvious, passive-aggressively hostile comments people make under the guise of helpful advice.

You should lose weight
You should stop smoking
You should get more exercise
You shouldn't spend money on that
You should buy a house
You shouldn't take drugs for that
You should ask for a pay raise
You should get a new job
You should cut your hair
You shouldn't take a pram on a crowded bus at rush hour
You shouldn't take 2 or more children by yourself on an airplane

You should. You shouldn't. You should have this, you shouldn't have that.

Yeah, well, woah! Let me write that advice down. Why didn't someone tell me this sooner. I'd never thought of that myself.

What sort of unsolicited advice is more unwelcome than "you should believe what I believe" or "you should act as I would act?"