# You can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 19, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101 "2019-12-19T18:15:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/1 "2019-12-19T18:15:48Z")
Am I a confusing, stream of chaotic conscious writer?
---
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/2 "2019-12-19T18:16:17Z")
Yes. Why would that hurt your feelings?
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/3 "2019-12-19T18:35:34Z")
Some people are more sensitive than i.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/4 "2019-12-19T18:56:06Z")
Some of the greatest writers in history produced a stream of chaotic consciousness. Nothing wrong with it at all. Just had a thread about that kind of song lyric. I think you’ve mistaken the jealousy of others for criticism.
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### Author:  [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/5 "2019-12-19T18:59:16Z")
Me too.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/6 "2019-12-19T19:08:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Some of the greatest writers in history produced a stream of chaotic consciousness.
Such as?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/7 "2019-12-19T19:13:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> Such as?
A couple of easy ones, James Joyce and Hunter Thompson.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/8 "2019-12-19T19:23:17Z")
Mikey you are a writer I find easy to understand. Don’t take that as a compliment it just means my head is chaotic too.
Birds of a feather flock together.
It seems to me there are a good many of us flocking together.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/9 "2019-12-19T19:26:49Z")
Chaotic conscious(ness)? Sure. Confusing? No, I’ve never found you confusing (or at least in a bad way).
It’s all good, keep being you.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/10 "2019-12-19T20:00:05Z")
> [@dropzone](#):
>
> Am I a confusing, stream of chaotic conscious writer?
I don’t understand the question. Get to the point.
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### Author:  [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/11 "2019-12-19T20:09:48Z")
You are wonderful. Just ask your dogs. They worship you. Cats are more ambivalent. Be nice, be accepted, and don’t sneeze much.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/12 "2019-12-19T20:27:07Z")
To be honest, I was hoping for helpful criticism, not fishing for compliments.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/13 "2019-12-19T20:31:51Z")
> [@dropzone](#):
>
> To be honest, I was hoping for helpful criticism, not fishing for compliments.
Okay: stop combing your hair with a firecracker. It’s not a good look.
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### Author:  [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/14 "2019-12-19T20:32:29Z")
I can’t comment further on your writing style with any accuracy outside the Pit and I don’t want to start a Pit thread just for this so I’ll say “yes” to the question in the OP and leave the rest implied.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/15 "2019-12-19T20:49:58Z")
You have my permission to Pit me, in a limited fashion linguistically, here.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/16 "2019-12-19T20:54:46Z")
How about some examples of posts you feel insecure about?
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/17 "2019-12-19T20:58:04Z")
> [@dropzone](#):
>
> To be honest, I was hoping for helpful criticism, not fishing for compliments.
Okay, here’s some general advice: beware **the Curse of Knowledge**.
> [@](#):
>
> The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes that the others have the background to understand.
>
> [Curse of knowledge - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_knowledge)
> [@](#):
>
> You are suffering from the curse of knowledge when you know things that the other person does not and you have forgotten what it’s like to not have this knowledge. This makes it harder for you to identify with the other person’s situation and explain things in a manner that is easily understandable to someone who is a novice.
>
> [https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/are-you-suffering-from-the-curse-knowledge.html](https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/are-you-suffering-from-the-curse-knowledge.html)
And here’s an example specific to you:
Recently you started a thread with the following OP:
> [@How did these bastards learn what my survivor benefits are?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-these-bastards-learn-what-my-survivor-benefits-are/844626/1):
>
> Another reason to get outta here ASAP: I just got a bill for being neglected by this dump, and is magically equal to my survivor benefits for my wife. How did they find that info? I didn’t tell them, and I need it to pay my mortgage.
>
> Cheap motherfuckers.
This probably makes sense to anyone who’s familiar with your situation, based on your posting history. But anyone who hasn’t read your previous threads, or who hasn’t made the connection ("Oh yeah, **dropzone** is _that guy_), isn’t going to know what the heck you mean by “here” or “this dump.”
So, when you start a new thread like that, you have to either provide some background (“Previously on **Dropzone** ’s Life…”) or accept that it’s only going to be intelligible to some of the people who click on it.
---
### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/18 "2019-12-19T21:01:18Z")
## I’ll pit you. Watch out for it. I’ll get right on that post. When I stop giggling.🙂
I know, I know I’m less than helpful.
You’ve been in the board since biblical times I believe everyone knows you pretty well.
And, I like you, what more do you need? 🙂
Mikey, don’t sweat the small stuff.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/19 "2019-12-19T21:06:14Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> Okay, here’s some general advice: beware **the Curse of Knowledge**.And here’s an example specific to you:
>
> Recently you started a thread with the following OP:This probably makes sense to anyone who’s familiar with your situation, based on your posting history. But anyone who hasn’t read your previous threads, or who hasn’t made the connection ("Oh yeah, **dropzone** is _that guy_), isn’t going to know what the heck you mean by “here” or “this dump.”
>
> So, when you start a new thread like that, you have to either provide some background (“Previously on **Dropzone** ’s Life…”) or accept that it’s only going to be intelligible to some of the people who click on it.
That’s a good point. Thank you.
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### Author:  [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-tell-me-it-wont-hurt-my-feelings/845101/20 "2019-12-19T21:40:22Z")
I assume that this thread was at least partially prompted by how when you posted [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=886967), the first response was
> [@My oldest sprung an announcement on me.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-oldest-sprung-an-announcement-on-me/845010/2):
>
> I’m thoroughly confused.
>
> ETA I’ve read it a few more times. I understand it even less now than before.
And yes, in that thread at least you are suffering from the curse of knowledge. Perhaps out of a desire to (imperfectly) preserve confidentiality, you toss out shards of knowledge about the identity and gender of the individuals involved that is enough to pique curiosity but not enough to piece together the narrative with any confidence. It’s like trying to put together a puzzle without all the pieces, whereas you have all the pieces and thus see a complete picture.
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