Friday, July 28, 2006
Stupid sayings
Earlier today someone at work asked me to call up one of our vendors and get some paperwork faxed over. Apparently they had trouble with these people, and suggested that I be extra polite and kiss-ass-ish. "After all, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar!" he said.
We've all heard this one before in one form or another. It's a very old saying, the lesson being one can get more cooperation from others by being nice than nasty.
This little proverb annoys me though. My problem is not with the moral. It's generally how i apporach my dealings with others. My problem is with the imagery. First of all, the cooperation of others is something you want, whereas flies are more of a pestilence. That's a minor detail, and one that boils down to your own personal sense of literary aesthetics. I can forgive that one.
What really irks me is the fact that the logic is flawed. Yes, you might attract more flies with honey, but you would attract even more files with a big pile of shit. So what does that say about treating others?
We've all heard this one before in one form or another. It's a very old saying, the lesson being one can get more cooperation from others by being nice than nasty.
This little proverb annoys me though. My problem is not with the moral. It's generally how i apporach my dealings with others. My problem is with the imagery. First of all, the cooperation of others is something you want, whereas flies are more of a pestilence. That's a minor detail, and one that boils down to your own personal sense of literary aesthetics. I can forgive that one.
What really irks me is the fact that the logic is flawed. Yes, you might attract more flies with honey, but you would attract even more files with a big pile of shit. So what does that say about treating others?
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