# I misread the cops **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-misread-the-cops/983071 "2023-04-23T12:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 18
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-misread-the-cops/983071/18 "2023-04-24T15:32:05Z")
The difference is in whether he cares about how you answer. The difference between informing and editorializing. Although, as you’ve said, after enough "Are you sure you’re sure?"s it certainly begins to collectively amount to editorializing even if each question in isolation is neutral. And of course there’s always the question of whether his words matched his own intent. In addition to all the points you and others have made about whether or not you correctly understood his words. See also this current thread for similar ruminations about understanding intent in conversations: > [@Misunderstandings based on your own perceptions. Long and rambling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misunderstandings-based-on-your-own-perceptions-long-and-rambling/983063): > > I hope I can make this make sense. My whole life is full of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, ruminations and self-imposed isolation because interactions are too stressful. Something dawned on me yesterday and hit me like a ton of bricks. The conversations that I am having with other people are not the conversations they are having with me. Here is an example of what I mean. This is a conversation I had with a nurse ( I am a nurse aide) yesterday at work. I’ll call that nurse Nimrod. We were v… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-misread-the-cops/983071)._