My Little Experiment with Showing Dislike
So, the other day, I saw something kinda awkward. Watched this guy basically drip contempt all over someone else in a meeting. Not yelling or anything, just… this look. You know the one? The slight eye-roll, the tiny head shake, the way he spoke down to the other person. Honestly, it made the whole room feel weird. Made me feel weird.
It got me thinking. How do people even do that? I mean, showing you really don’t respect someone or their idea. Seems like a tricky thing. Most times I just feel angry or frustrated, but straight-up contempt? It felt… colder. Sharper.
So, I started kinda… watching people. Not in a creepy way! Just noticing little interactions. At the store, online, even characters in shows. How did they signal they thought something was beneath them? It was often really subtle stuff.
- A particular way of sighing.
- Raising one eyebrow juuuust so.
- Using certain words that sound polite but aren’t. Like saying “Oh, that’s… interesting” when you clearly mean “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I even tried to recall times I felt that way myself. Usually, it’s when I see someone being deliberately unfair or acting all high and mighty with nothing to back it up. That feeling bubbles up. But actually showing it? I usually just bite my tongue or walk away. Seems like it rarely makes things better, you know?
I spent a couple of days just mulling this over while I was doing other stuff, like washing dishes or waiting for the kettle to boil. I’d replay that meeting scene in my head. I thought about trying out that “look” in the mirror. Felt ridiculous, honestly. Didn’t feel like me.
Here’s what I figured out, basically: Expressing contempt often says more about the person doing it than the person they’re aiming it at. That guy in the meeting? Yeah, he made the other person feel small, but he also made himself look like a bit of a jerk to everyone else watching.
So, my whole “practice” ended up being mostly observation and deciding… nah. Not for me. There are better ways to disagree or show you’re not impressed. Most of the time, just being direct and honest, without the nasty edge, works way better. Or sometimes, just saying nothing at all is the strongest move. It was an interesting little thought experiment, though. Made me pay more attention to those tiny social cues people send out all the time.
