|
My first response, of course, is to think „Oh, I feel sorry
for you“, but I would never say that out loud.
What do I say to
them? I guess it depends on their tone.
If they are clearly looking for a confrontation I shrug and
say „That‘s okay. Everyone has a right to their own preference,“ but if I‘m in
the mood for talking I might add „By the way, I don‘t watch TV/play computer
games/engage in sports,“ or whatever I judge to be likely to result in a good
argu..., excuse me: discussion.
If they seem sad about it, I ask if they are looking to do
something about it and engage them in a discussion about their interests and
then I recommend a book or two.
If they are...
But this list could go on indefinitely.
The thing is this: When someone says something like this to
me, it‘s generally in response to finding out that I read a lot. Making such a
statement can be so many things: a passive aggressive way of telling a reader she
doesn‘t have a life; a way to tell her that she is admired by the speaker; to
give her the information that the speaker would like to read but can‘t – for lack
of time, because of eye-strain or migraines, because of a lack of decent books,
etc.
The response needs to be tailored to the person and the situation.
The response needs to be tailored to the person and the situation.
Comments