Skip to main content

Is There Ever a Nice Way?

To reject a person? Is there ever a nice way one can go about it? Or are they all equally as harsh? How much can a person euphemize or sugar-coat things surrounding the word so that it'll make the other person walk away in smiles, as opposed to tears?

I ask this, because just a few days ago, I was told about a similar situation. A guy asked a gal out sometime and she responded with, "Although I'm flattered by what you have said, I'm not interested in dating you or anyone else right now. You're a very nice guy, very easy to talk to, but more in the friend sense. I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but this is how I honestly feel. I hope that this won't stop you from ever talking to me again."

Supposedly, this gal has a history for dating, well, jerks and allegedly, she told a friend of her's a few months back that she had an interest in this young fellow. So, it indeed came as a big shock to him when she told him all of this. So, this young man talked to her friend, told her the story and the friend replied with, "Well, that was nice, I guess."

What's nice about it? The woman dooms things from the start, with the word "Although." Those are awful words: Although, however, but.

"Although you're a great guy, I just can't date you."

"You're truly a great person, however, you're not my type."

"I'm very flattered by what you said, but I still don't want anything to do with you."

If you are told or written any of those three words after asking a person out, be prepared for rejection!

So, what else was "nice" about it? The compliments on being a nice person and easy to talk to? Oh, sure, rub it in to the guy. He's this and he's that, just not good enough for you, eh? Okay then.

The friends line? Was that "nice?" That she sees him in more of a friend sense? What's nice about that? That's one of the (in)famous cop-outs.

"You know, I just don't think we're meant to be like that. But, I'd love to be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be best friends. Let's be the greatest friends that ever lived. But, nothing more."

So, no, again, rub it in the guy's face. He's great, he's nice, he's easy to talk to, great to be friends with, but nothing more.

How about that last line? Was that "nice"? That she hoped her answer wouldn't prevent him from talking to her again. What's that? Yeah, let's rub that pie full of salt and spices nice and deep so they burn! Alright, so he's very nice, very easy to talk to, great as a friend and she hopes they continue to talk. Whoop-dee-doo!

What about the line, "I'm sorry if you're disappointed?" What? Don't be sorry. If she were truly sorry that the guy would be disappointed, she wouldn't have turned him down now, would she have? I'm sorry, but that line can't be said. That's like a potential boss calling a person he just interviewed and saying, "You didn't get the job. I'm sorry if you're disappointed." Whatever, shutup! I don't want to talk to you! ::click::. Disappointment goes without saying. If anyone is rejected from anything, they're going to feel disappointment. As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh!" If someone is rejected from a job, a college, a guy, a girl, whatever, they're going to feel a sense of disappointment. They don't need to read or hear, "I'm sorry if you're disappointed." If they're truly sorry, then send over some money, a new car, a trip to Hawaii, a cruise across Europe. If they're truly sorry, then show it. If they're not truly sorry, which they're not, then don't say you are!

It's all about easing guilt off of one's conscience. This person's answer was full of those signs. Let me run down the list: 1) The flattering line, 2) Don't want to date anyone right now, 3) the compliments (nice, easy to talk to), 4) I'm sorry if you're disappointed, 5) friends, and 6) I hope this doesn't stop you from talking to me. In a very short response, there are six statements made to ease the guilt off of her own conscience. How sugar-coated can a rejection be?

It doesn't matter how sugar-coated a rejection is, it's still a rejection and will sting just the same, if not worse than it would if the person just said "no." The more a person says in a rejection, the deeper it's going to bury inside one's gut and the more it's going to hurt. Keep it short and to the point. If someone goes all out and says, "No. You're ugly, short, dumb, have crooked teeth, bad breath, an annoying voice, are bad at everything you do. I wouldn't be caught dead ever dating you!" Now, that is the worst rejection letter one can receive. I shortened it down a bit to get to the point. I imagine if someone added more details, this would be one excruciatingly long and painful letter. The one I just noted at the outset of this blog is not as painful, but is still pretty bad, because the person just doesn't stop with the sugar-coating. Instead of just saying "No," they have to go on and on about why they're saying no, that they think the other person is nice, easy to talk to, would be a good friend and they hope they'll continue talking, and, and, and, and, and! When it comes to a rejection, don't make it some 8-10 minute speech, because the longer it drags on, the more intense the pain will be felt. Just say, "No, I'm not ready for a relationship right now." Bam. One sentence, 9-10 words long and that's it. If the other starts asking the why's and how come's, then that's when the sugar-coating lingo will come about, so be prepared. But, if you can just handle that one sentence rejection, trust me, you'll be thankful!

Oh, I guess to sum up and answer the question posted in the title, no, there isn't ever a nice way to reject a person. The word "no" will always make its presence known and felt in a rejection, regardless of the words it's surrounded by and pain will always be felt because of it. So, keep it short and "sweet," and if you're going to reject someone, just say "No!"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Boycotting jukeboxes because of TouchTunes

I love music and enjoy hitting the bar(s) over the weekend, so naturally, when the mood strikes me, I've never been coy about playing some songs on the jukebox. This past Thursday, a friend of mine turned 50, so several friends of her's, including myself, all met up to celebrate the occasion. At around 9:30, a friend of mine and I both chipped in $5 to play some songs on the jukebox. Four hours and 231 skips later, we gave up on hearing the songs we had selected, and went home knowing we had just wasted $5. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened to me (and many others), and due to that, I'll be boycotting jukeboxes. Why? The scam known as TouchTunes. You see, here's how the plot typically breaks down. A person (or group of people) downloads the TouchTunes app on his/her phone, consumes one too many adult beverages, and due to this, has less care for spending extra money to hear the songs of their choosing right NOW. That's the thing with TouchTun

The difference between "looking" and "checking out"

I may be way off with these numbers, but it's my approximation that at least 75% of individuals whom are involved in a serious relationship feel it's perfectly acceptable to "check out" members of the opposite sex they're not involved with. Meanwhile, approximately 25% either don't feel this is acceptable or aren't sure about the matter. I hadn't thought about this matter for a while, but since I've been dating a woman for about 8 months, the topic has been pondered about some. When reading or hearing others discuss this very issue, I often times hear comments similar to the following: "It's human nature to look." "There's nothing wrong with checking others out. I'm sure he/she does it too!" "It's fine to do it. Just don't tell your boyfriend/girlfriend about it or do it in front of them!" "It's natural to find people attractive." When observing the array of comments, I i

The verdict is in. To no one's surprise, Jonathan Hoenig has been found guilty of being an idiot.

Just recently, when discussing the Michael Brown shooting and whether or not race had anything to do with it, Fox News contributor Jonathan Hoenig said, "You know who talks about race? Racists." One moment while I provide Mr. Hoenig with the well deserved slow-clap. :: slow-claps for two seconds :: So, that was quite the line by Mr. Hoenig, wasn't it? "You know who talks about race? Racists." Well, wasn't he just talking about race? So, by his own words, I guess that makes him a racist. Also, if he wants to be consistent, does this mean that people whom talk about gender are sexists and people whom talk about sexual orientation are homophobes? With that line of thinking, Hoenig would engage in the following back-and-forths: Hoenig: "So, who are you voting for?" A woman: "The Democratic candidate, because he's been adamant about his support for equal rights for women." Hoenig: "You sexist feminist nazi!"