# My JW nurse doesn't like it when I say Geez **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209 "2014-04-03T00:35:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/21 "2014-04-03T04:06:25Z")
> [@butterfiles](#): > > I think “Oh my God!” probably bothers her less because she worships Jehovah (to her God is a title of Jehovah). But I think I could avoid a lot of tension if I just drop using any of it, with the occasional slip up. I probably overdo it anyway though not intentionally with her. I do try to be considerate. I am kind of offended by the snide judgement thing and this could be avoided if I just stop saying it most of the time. I guess mission accomplished, for her 🙂 > > Also. I’d rather be straightforward & talk to her about it but she can be so weird about religion talk unless it’s just her saying stuff. If there’s any kind of back and forth, I think she assumes the “world” is tempting her through another person’s views. > > Thanks all of you for the suggestions! FTR, I don’t like confrontation and that’s probably what I’d do as well, but it doesn’t seem fair. Think about it 1)She doesn’t like it when you say certain words. 2)She doesn’t like it when you talk to her about her not liking the use of certain words. 3)I don’t like being judged by her but can’t do anything about it without setting her off. In a ‘regular’ workplace environment, these are the kind of employees that make managers/employers uncomfortable because everyone has to walk on eggshells around them and results in a lot of complaints and whining about them. ---
**Author:** ![butterfiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@butterfiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterfiles)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/22 "2014-04-03T04:09:30Z")
Er, maybe…a bit more of a potty mouth. It’s a vicious cycle though! She makes a snide remark and then I curse and then she makes a snide remark…and on and on 😉 In answer to the “recent” - while she converted a couple of years ago she’s more recently become extra sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![butterfiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@butterfiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterfiles)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/23 "2014-04-03T04:12:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > FTR, I don’t like confrontation and that’s probably what I’d do as well, but it doesn’t seem fair. > > Think about it > 1)She doesn’t like it when you say certain words. > 2)She doesn’t like it when you talk to her about her not liking the use of certain words. > 3)I don’t like being judged by her but can’t do anything about it without setting her off. > > In a ‘regular’ workplace environment, these are the kind of employees that make managers/employers uncomfortable because everyone has to walk on eggshells around them and results in a lot of complaints and whining about them. You got it with the eggshells comment! Exactly. It’s a good thing we get along well otherwise, plus she really is good at the job itself. In home care, it’s pretty personal though. The workplace is my house. I am always compromising somewhat because it’s worth it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/24 "2014-04-03T04:41:45Z")
I guess in deference to her religious beliefs you could switch to a different set of profanity. Maybe switching to Carlin’s 7 words would make her more comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/25 "2014-04-03T10:34:16Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > FTR, I don’t like confrontation and that’s probably what I’d do as well, but it doesn’t seem fair. > > Think about it > 1)She doesn’t like it when you say certain words. > 2)She doesn’t like it when you talk to her about her not liking the use of certain words. > 3)I don’t like being judged by her but can’t do anything about it without setting her off. > > In a ‘regular’ workplace environment, these are the kind of employees that make managers/employers uncomfortable because everyone has to walk on eggshells around them and results in a lot of complaints and whining about them. The above “1) 2) 3)” certainly doesn’t seem right – with the client’s being reluctant to provoke confrontation and acrimony, the nurse is getting to “have it all ways”: especially wrongful, in that per a PP, she is failing here to follow the policy set by her church for such “work” situations. In the OP’s place, I reckon that I would think (probably wouldn’t dare to say it out loud, with the wish being to minimise nastiness): “You ought to try a spell in prison – which is what adherents of your faith automatically get in some parts of the world. That would show you real bad language, to the max – and maybe cause you to get that issue, and possibly others, into some kind of perspective”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/26 "2014-04-03T11:06:09Z")
Try saying something less controversial, like “Holy blood transfusions!” ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/27 "2014-04-03T12:22:50Z")
Geez = Cheese Oh My God = Oh My Goodness! Jesus = Cheeses Doesn’t seem that hard really! Just insist you said, Cheese not Geez, cheeses not Jesus, etc! I don’t know how you could more clearly illustrate how silly she is being. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/28 "2014-04-03T12:54:07Z")
Ah, but if the patient/client/employer uses language that offends the nurse, is he creating a “hostile work environment”? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/29 "2014-04-03T13:00:21Z")
Tell her to go fuck herself, or Jesus if she prefers. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/30 "2014-04-03T13:08:49Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Ah, but if the patient/client/employer uses language that offends the nurse, is he creating a “hostile work environment”? The patient is not the employer. The patient is the customer. The customer can not create a hostile work environment in his own house. The actual employer has recourse, they can move her to a different client without any change in employment if there is a conflict. I would just start using “Jumping Jesus on a pogostick.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/31 "2014-04-03T13:42:06Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Ah, but if the patient/client/employer uses language that offends the nurse, is he creating a “hostile work environment”? > [@Loach](#): > > The patient is not the employer. The patient is the customer. The customer can not create a hostile work environment in his own house. The actual employer has recourse, they can move her to a different client without any change in employment if there is a conflict. > I would just start using “Jumping Jesus on a pogostick.” While I do understand that harassment doesn’t have as much to do with the intent of the person who said it as it does to do with the person on the receiving end, I think it’d be pretty hard to argue that you’re in a hostile work environment when the only thing hostile about it is that one of the people occasionally says ‘jeez’ or ‘oh my god’. Especially when you’ve only just recently made the decision to be offended by it. ETA, I think “Jumping Jehovahs” would be better. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/32 "2014-04-03T14:05:09Z")
> [@butterfiles](#): > > You’ve got a point there Inna Minnit with Jesus in Islam. I guess I’ve never understood what is so negative about using phrases like that. I just don’t get how it’s “bad.” That said, I get that it offends people and I feel vaguely guilty about it. Do you get why some Muslims are offended by non Muslims making drawings of Mohammad? (Seriously, why? I have no clue :D) ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/33 "2014-04-03T14:10:34Z")
Um I think we are glossing over the biggest issue here. It’s spelled Jeez…with a J. None of this Geez crap! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/34 "2014-04-03T15:49:05Z")
You’re a Muslim. If you want to blaspheme, come up with phrases like “by the prophet” and such. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/35 "2014-04-03T18:09:53Z")
> [@butterfiles](#): > > In answer to the “recent” - while she converted a couple of years ago she’s more recently become extra sensitive. Any particular reason why? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/36 "2014-04-03T18:35:28Z")
It all comes down to whose ox is being gored (a phrase I overuse, but hey). If she were a homosexual man and objected politely to you saying “That’s so _gay_!” every time something exasperated you, the board police hereabouts would be down on you like a metric shit-ton of building blocks. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/37 "2014-04-03T20:02:56Z")
Much ado about absolutely nothing, but you could take the z off and just say “Gee!” ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/38 "2014-04-03T20:21:57Z")
> [@butterfiles](#): > > I remember a while ago someone said “Goddamn it!” and she insisted on saying that it meant the person was damning God. I said actually I think they’re asking God to damn “it” whatever the it problem was. Weird. It’s the optative subjunctive, equivalent to “May God damn it”: they’re not asking God, they’re wishing that he would. See also “God bless America/save the Queen/defend our free land”. ---
**Author:** ![butterfiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@butterfiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterfiles)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/39 "2014-04-04T01:30:49Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > It’s the optative subjunctive, equivalent to “May God damn it”: they’re not asking God, they’re wishing that he would. See also “God bless America/save the Queen/defend our free land”. Aha, thanks for the explanation. ---
**Author:** ![butterfiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@butterfiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butterfiles)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209/40 "2014-04-04T01:32:45Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Any particular reason why? I’m not sure why, but I do know she’s anxious she might be falling off from her faith because she decided to go back to school. My guess is that she’s being defensive/sensitive for that reason plus the flack she’s catching from her non-JW family as she gets more sensitive, she becomes more insulated, then she gets more sensitive… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-jw-nurse-doesnt-like-it-when-i-say-geez/685209.md?page=3)