1. nexusfactoronline

    nexusfactoronline New Member

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    Interpreting a Sentence Given the Context

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by nexusfactoronline, Feb 22, 2017.

    Hello,

    I'm having trouble understanding the meaning of a sentence, and I was unsure if I should place it in Word Mechanics or not(I read the forum description and didn't think this question fit). If a more appropriate forum is available, please move it.

    My question concerns the phrase "don't take it personally". I googled, but the context that I'm finding is not the one that I want.

    Let's assume that Friend 1 has just finished a meeting with his boss. His ideas where met with little to no reaction, and any attempt at talking with his boss privately is met with excuses.

    Used in the following context:

    Friend 1: I think my boss hates me.
    Friend 2: Don't take it personally.
    Friend 1: Yeah, Yeah, Leaves room feeling hurt.

    Given this context, and nothing more, my questions are:

    1. When friend 2 says Don't take it personally, can you rephrase it as "Don't take it seriously", "Forget about it" or Don't believe/think that?

    2. Is the 2nd friend implying that the boss hates him, but saying not to take it personally?
    I assume no, he's not implying that the boss hates him, he's just saying not to worry about it, as it maybe just in Friend 1's head. There could be any number of reason why the Boss is acting this way, including that the boss does in fact hate him, BUT that's never specifically stated, we don't know the reason, only that Friend 1 interprets the actions as hatred.
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2017
  2. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    As I interpret it:

    Boss did X.
    Friend 1 is interpreting X to mean that the boss hates him.
    Friend 2 is saying, no, X probably happened due to some other totally different reason, "don't take it personally"--don't assume that Boss's behavior was about you.

    Now, this is tangled a little bit with the fact that a work situation is often described as "business" rather than "personal." So Friend 2 could be saying, "No, Boss just thinks you're a lousy employee; he doesn't hate you as a person."

    But that's not my first interpretation. My first interpretation is that Friend 2 is saying that Boss's behavior wasn't "about" Friend 1--not about him in a business conext or a personal context. That Boss is in a bad mood due to something completely different, or that Boss always acts that way with everyone, or some other reason why Boss's behavior isn't "about" Friend 1.
     
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  3. nexusfactoronline

    nexusfactoronline New Member

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    I think you summed it up pretty well, and answered my question. Much appreciated. Just to clarify, Friend 2 didn't imply in anyway that the boss hated it him, when he said "Don't take it personally"? Just that for whatever reason other than hatred he just isn't responding to your ideas, correct?
     
  4. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Correct.

    He's NOT saying, "Don't take the fact that the boss hates you personally."
    He's saying, "Don't take the boss's behavior personally. He doesn't hate you."
     
  5. nexusfactoronline

    nexusfactoronline New Member

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    You've done it again! Much appreciated.
     
  6. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Friend 2 is offering a kind of philosophical razor, mildly similar to Hanlon's Razor, which states: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

    In this case, the razor is more like: Never attribute to malice that which may have nothing at all to do with you.
     

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