Monday, November 29, 2010

foot-in-mouth-syndrome

I'm afflicted. It's terrible. I know I can't be the only person, but perhaps I am somewhat sensitive to noticing my own faults. This disease, ladies and gentlemen, is foot-in-mouth syndrome. No, it's not that nasty thing where you get blisters and stuff in your mouth. It's the thing where you say something completely rude and somewhat condescending and you don't realize it until later.

My foot in mouth disorder runs rampant, from the gamut of accidently insulting where someone went to school, or talking too inexpertly about divorce, or making an offhanded comment about where someone is from, to sounding incredible stupid by not knowing something somehow everyone else knows. I don't mean to be so uncouth, and I often wonder why sometimes I don't think before I speak. I know that everyone occasionally sticks their foot in their mouth. But when I do it, I tend to think about it for hours afterward.

This is how a foot-in-mouth situation might unravel for me.
Making conversation with some old acquaintences from high school, I find out one of the girls is getting her MBA. In a moment in which my brain had temporary made like Elvis and left the building, I asked "MBA in what?" They looked at me with incredulity. "Oh, that was a really dumb question, wasn't it?" They chuckled quietly at my expence. I simply didn't know if there were different MBAs you could get...how was I supposed to know that there was only one MBA?

Anyway, so I can't stop thinking about the stupid thing I said. Then my mind rambles on, and I start feeling really bad about myself. These girls must think I'm an idiot! Here I am, supposed to be smart, but really I'm dumb and talentless, TALENTLESS. Yeah, I think I'm such a big deal, moving to New York, but really I'm just a FAILURE. A big fat one!

And this will go on for a bit. It's worse when I think I've insulted someone's intelligence or life or whatever, because then my self doubt spirals further. I'm just not a nice person. How is it I have any friends, when I can be so mean like that? Why am I so STUPID???

Maybe I just need to pay more attention to the things I say. Other people must stick their feet in their mouths too, right? Am I the only one who feels really bad when it happens?

3 comments:

  1. Oh no, you are absolutely not the only one. I do this ALL THE TIME (and why does it usually happen when talking to old acquaintances you want to prove yourself to?!). And I ALWAYS feel horrible for days after, berating myself. So I feel your pain. I really do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha I do this all the time! And honestly, I never forget when I've done it... moments from years and years ago haunt me. The worst. I do think other people don't always remember... I can't remember when anyone else does it to me, so don't worry!!

    xo,
    ACL

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hahahahaha I specialize in this. I think it's hereditary. My family refers to people with foot in mounth syndrome as MOTs (masters of tact). The real winner: my grandmother was speaking to a friend who had recently gone blind. As they go their seperate ways the friend says to my grandmonther, "I'll see you around." Her responce, "you can't be saying that anymore." So don't worry about a few simple foot in mouth moments....at least your not insulting blind people.

    ReplyDelete