3 Hilariously Meaningless Compliments for Any Social Situation
A social ‘get out of jail free’ card
--
We’ve all been there, talking to a friend or family member and they show you something that you have literally no opinion on.
You need some ‘non-compliments’ to move the conversation along.
Lines of complete ambivalence that can be used as a ‘get out of jail free’ card.
Here are some of my favourites…
#1. “Aww Look at him! He’s loving his life.”
I use this one all the time when someone shows me something their kid has done and I’m not sure how to acknowledge it.
Or when an adult shows me their partner doing some menial task like gardening and I’m not sure how to respond. My brain wants to say:
“What am I supposed to be looking at here? That’s just a woman gardening. Why are you swiping to show me 4 almost identical photos?”
Instead I say “Aww look at her. She’s loving her life!”
#2. “I can tell that you’ve thought a lot about it”
This is a classic ‘non-compliment’ for anyone pitching you their newest business idea. You don’t know if it’s good or bad, because it’s not been executed yet.
It’s best to play it safe and not encourage them to remortgage their house on something you’re unfamiliar with or don’t believe in. This line works a treat.
#3. “That must have taken you ages”
It sounds like a true acknowledgement of someone’s hard labour, but it’s void of any real implication.
Time is but a factor in your observation. It sounds like a compliment but it’s essentially meaningless.
