Platitudes and trite expressions

Maybe the fact that they have a grain of truth on them makes them even more annoying?

Some of them come across to me as so hokey that they go directly to my stomach. This doesn't take away from how true they are, but I'd rather do without them, thanks. The ones I most love to hate are:

"Stinkin' thinkin'"
"Pity pot" or "pity party"
"Fake it 'til you make it."
"Let go and let God."
"Turn your frown upside down."
"Go with the flow."

Oh, that's interesting. I just noticed what they all have in common, and spotted what bugs me. It's the alliteration! Why be cute about it? Just say it!

What's your opinion? Do any platitudes, expressions, proverbs, clichés, etc. get on your nerves?

Is it that they want us to blame us, for being victims of their selfishness?

"Smile it might never happen..."

I was walking back through my local town centre after visiting my ma in hospital (and as such i was in an AWFUL mood) and this guy handing out leaflets said it as i walked past him, so i turned around and snapped: "No, Not with you around..."



Not my proudest moment but i guess we all have our bad days. At least i didn't take all his leaflets and chuck 'em up in the air.

I haven't been nasty to a street vendor since though, so i guess thats progress!

Unfortunately trite expressions and platitudes are all some of my facebook friends post as their status.

At the moment my cousin has "It's funny how the people who promised never to hurt you end up hurting you the most"

You spoke of these platitudes having a similar quality. It's usually just an ironic twist. You must go up to come down, only when you're blind can you truly see, etc.

I expect most have more important things to be concerned about. Perhaps a different focus would help?

"Act your way into a new way of thinking; don't think your way into acting."

And if you're specifically talking about AA:

"Program of actions, not feelings"
"Nobody's to dumb for this Program, but there are some people to smart for it."
"My best thinking got me here."

I hate when a cute/good idea gets so common as to become annoying; everyone jumps on the band wagon :-) the smiley face/don't worry, be happy coming to mind? Right now, "Pay it forward" is starting to bug me, especially with the Progressive insurance ad guy taking its ideas (paying for the person behind you in line at a toll booth) and using them for commercial purposes. Anything that goes on too long will become a cliche and that is both good and bad.

On certain (rare) occasions, such expressions are warranted, and I don't mind them every now and then. But when they're used often by the same person, it leads me to believe that said person is either incapable of thinking for themselves or too lazy to form a thoughtful response. And thus they take to regurgitating the same tired expressions that've been said by many a bloke before them. It's like ... "stick a band-aid on the fatal flesh-eating disease" sort of support... Just doesn't cut it...

And sometimes they're even used to sweep contradictory experiences under the carpet.

I went to AA a lot. I go to NA now. There aren't many expressions in NA that bother me. One I do use, that I borrow from AA is, "the highest you get in NA, is clean." I like that one. It says a lot that needs to be said in NA.

AA uses slogans. Some members use slogans inapropriately sometimes, I believe. Quiting drinking was pretty easy for me. I've never been a daily drinker. I experimented with illigal street narcotics, mostly. I was never a daily user of those either. I did become a daily marijuanna smoker for a few years. I spent too much. I became too lazy. I quit. I paid the price.

I guess the way AA uses slogans inapropriately, for me, was because I have a thought and mood disorder. They don't seem to recognize that as being relevant to their program of recovery. That caused confusion for me. Should I listen to my psychiatrist and therapist, or AA members who, sometimes, rant without giving their words much thought. It was difficult for me. I concluded that I needed to listen to my psychiatrist and remember that, "the highest anyone gets in AA is sober."

I received some good and helpful advice at AA meetings, as well as inapropriate advice. I got what I paid for, essentially. Meetings are free.

I can go to an AA meeting today and smile and be friendly. I can share my experience strength and hope also. Same with NA.

I haven't used since may 20th, 2010. I've been clean, mostly, since I attended rehab in 87. A beer her and there. A little pot, but rarely. My wife and I smoked together for a few years. I only smoked with her. It wasn't the "best" solution, but I own it. It could have been much worse.

I have a good life today. All the crap was worth it

I have to admit, I can be bad for using a cliche at times, but the ones you posted lovebird are almost painful. :P I do rather like the "Let go and let God," but I then again, I haven't heard that one before. The others...ew. :P

lol I love your sig by the way.

Guy at work always throws in the "that's what she said" everytime he gets the chance.

and our new boss is always the motivational asking "are you living the dream?" in a warehouse....lmao

As well as AA and other 12-step programs, yes, business and motivational speakers are especially rampant with those. I got to where if I heard "think outside the box" one more time I was going to "box" somebody right to the mat!

I love that "bandaid on the fatal flesh-eating disease" analogy, Michael. That's exactly what platitudes feel like to me, except I've used the slightly different "bandaid on a bullet wound."

lol Triciadrich, I'm in college, so I can empathize with the "That's what she said" jokes...rampant. My roommate loves them, and occasionally I'll find one on TV too good to pass up for laughs, but on the whole they're getting sorta old. :P

Yeah, well, it is what it is. Y'know?

I remember AA as a hellish place. I was in while cigs and coffee were program tools of recovery. The members seemed to look down on me. When I asked questions, I'd feel stupid. They would have a brown chip for anyone who had a crappy day. I was suicidal, so I went up and took one. They all laughed and made me feel worse. they said things, when i wasn't paying attention like "i've got good news and i've got bad news; the good news is the wars over, the bad news is that I lost"

i guess i wanted the world to be a happier place. i don't anymore.

it stole my dream for a better world.

i guess i should thank them?

I wouldn't let them get you down Brook. It's never a bad thing to wish for a better world or to want it to be a happier place. Don't let a few...well, I'll let you handle your choice of words for them yourself...ruin such an optimistic viewpoint. It's a rarity these days. It'd be a shame to see one go due to the insensitivity of a few (your words here).

Thanks harl,

That is good advice. I need time to heal. It stings to heal from these wounds.

Hatred and Guilt don't make good bed mates, I believe. I carry hatred and guilt with me 24/7/365. I guess, "that makes me stupid", says my voices.

I wish I could imagine happiness. I can't see any, anywhere. Umm. Is happiness a fantasy?

I've also had some not-so-positive experiences with AA, brook, so I understand your feeling. They're really big on those trite expressions--although when I first started this thread, I wasn't thinking specifically of AA as a source of them.

I recently bought a book, "Believe You Can." It was advertised as instruction on positive thinking. I was disappointed to find it full of pep talk, rather than practical information on *how* to believe you can, or how to think positively. Every chapter is crammed full of one platitude after another, or quoting someone else who was spouting platitudes. They're not even placed in a logical order, but seemingly strung together at random.

Sample:

Christopher Morley said, "Big shots are only little shots that keep shooting." Persistence is simply enjoying the distance between the birth and the fulfillment of your dreams. An "overnight success" takes years.

We should be people of strong wills, not strong wont's. Many of the world's great failures did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Stopping at third base adds no more to the score than striking out.

Yeah, the entire book goes on and on like that.

I wanna barf.

"Believe You Can" John Mason (c) 2004

Right there with ya! Barf! I loathe that type of book. Cracks me up that the people who put them together tend to think of themselves as real go-getters, when the irony is that kind of thing is just lazy(!) Piles o' platitudes and not a ladder in sight. I've been trying to think of some while following this thread. There are soooo many, it'd be hard to know where to begin, yet I can't think of many specific ones. Guess I've blocked them out!