Good morning.
This cartoon appeared in last week’s TRO Ezine and I thought of you. It reminded me of the “SBC.” This stands for the Social Bafoon Curse.”
In not so many words, it sounds like this: “You think that is cool, wait until you hear what I have to say.”It shows its ugly face when one person in a group shares some good news. (Or bad.) And the other people in the group interpret this as a sign that it is time to play “one-upmanship.”
It might unfold something like this:
Person #1: “My daughter just graduated from The University of Miami.”
Person #2: “Oh! My son just graduated and we had a big party and he came with his fiancé and we threw a large party and 300 people came and he look alike Brad Pitt and I wore my red dress and… and … and.”
I am certain that you are guilty of exhibiting the SBC now and then, and I suggest that you stop it at once. It is the fastest way to reach a dead end street when it comes to establishing a meaningful relationship. It smacks of boorish behavior and inconsideration. (Is this even a word?????)
BETTER: Remember that “nobody cares about your stories.” Too harsh? I’ll say it again. “NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU OR YOUR STORIES.” They care about “their” stories. So, probe deeper into their stories by asking questions.
To the first person announcing her daughter’s graduation, you say, “That is terrific. What did she major in? What she planning to do next? Is she planning on attending graduate school? Did she ever skip class and hang out on South Beach? Did she ever spot Don Johnson? (That last one was for you old folks like me.)
Now that I have brought it to your attention, you will notice the SB Curse happening everywhere. Just don’t become a practitioner yourself. Get into other people’s stories. You will be glad you did.
“Does anybody out there want to hear “my” stories? I didn’t think so.