I'm gonna let you in on a secret...
Whispering is rude.
In fact, it's downright mean and hateful.
When I see someone whispering I immediately picture the mean girls that everyone hates on those teen movies where they're invariably standing in the cafeteria at school in their fancy clothes whispering about the gawky girl wearing last years frumpy attire.
Whispering is a direct violation of Etiquette 101, plain and simple.
If you think whatever you have to say in front of mixed company to one person is so important that it can't wait until a later, more appropriate time, then you might just be thinking a little too much about yourself.
No one likes to be around someone who is whispering.
No one.
Trust me. I've taken a poll.
It's uncomfortable and disconcerting because whether you are a confident person or not, your first thought is usually that they're whispering about you.
So you check your zipper, pick at your teeth, smooth your hair and cross your arms across your chest.
At least that's what I do.
Have I ever whispered?
Yes.
And then I promptly felt like a big, fat jerk.
Because I could tell everyone else around me was uncomfortable.
And I want people to be comfortable around me.
I want us all to be friends, hold hands and sing campfire songs while braiding each other's hair and eating s'mores.
(All of which would be completely ridiculous, messy and impossible.)
In conclusion:
If I see you whispering to someone and they don't promptly pull up their zipper or pick a piece of spinach out of their teeth then I'm going to lose respect for you.
You probably don't care about my respecting you or not though, so I've devised a plan:
The next time I see someone whispering in front of others I'm going to do one of two things.
I'll either raise my voice and say loudly, "I'm sorry! I didn't catch that, what were you trying to say?!"
Or I'll start a whisper chain in which I whisper into the person's ear next to me, "Whispering is rude, pass it on" and then they'll repeat it into the ear of the next person and so on until the person whispering gets the message.
They may need a little refining, but I think they're solid plans.
Because really, someone who has the nerve to whisper in front of others should have the backbone to take a little good-natured ribbing.
Right?
I'll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, use the vocal chords God gave you and speak loud and proud (or not at all) and save the private information for private times with your private people so we can all feel comfortable in each other's company.
B
You can see the rest of this session here under "Senior Bree".
4 comments:
I like that one with the hat. Definitely better in black and white.
I love one in the green dress, GORGEOUS!
And personally I would go with plan A:) no guarantee plan B will work
Stunning photos. Many favorites. but.....something about # 15 is very captivating.
Yes definitely, plan A. We all hate the rudeness.
Of course there is one exception to the whispering is rude rule Small children. Would much rather hear "that lady is really big!" whispered in my ear than out loud. Of course, they usually haven't mastered the 'wait until later to say said rude thingj' technique.
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