Did You Have to Say That?

Ever been in a situation in which someone like your co-worker, your boss, your parents, your spouse, your siblings, your friends, etc. feel the compulsion to tell you something that you were already blatantly aware of? Have you ever bristled at hearing something from someone that just did NOT need to be said?

For example, a childless couple being approached by family and/or in-laws, and someone invariably asks, "When are you going to have children? You're not getting any younger." Did they have to say that? It's their marriage and their business as to whether or not they wish to have children. In addition, they don't need meddling nosybodies putting pressure on them by reminding them of their biological clock.

I'm thirty-nine years old, and my mother still forgets herself. I may go to an oriental buffet restairamt that features seafood, and she'll say, "Enjoy your seafood, but I think you should avoid the sushi." I could have overlooked it the first time, but the second time I told her I was going to this restaurant, she commented, "I hope you have a good time. Just remember, don't eat the sushi." 'Scuse me, Mom, but did you have to say that? I'm old enough to know what sushi is and whether or not I want to eat it. If I want to eat raw fish wrapped in seaweed, I'm old enough to make that decision.

How about when you're telling someone about a potentially bad experience and how the actions of someone prevented the situation from getting worse? You make the comment toward that person in absentia, "Thank you, so-and-so!" Then another person in the same room is feeling sanctimonious and makes the comment, "You should be thanking God!." Oh, Lord, did he have to say that? He listened to a true story about an event in my life, and the first sentence out of his mouth is a criticism! And these are the kind of people who cannot understand why no one wants to engage on conversation with them about religion. To quote a bumper sticker I wish I had, "Dear God, please protect me from your followers!"

I get several e-mails from friends ranging from jokes to stories. The only e-mails I don't like are the chain e-mails. You know the ones ... down at the bottom where it instructs you to "send this to ten people, and you'll see the Taco Bell chihuahua dance across your screen" or "send this to everyone on your list so we can spread the word about this terrible injustice going on." Oh puhleeze! Did you have to say that? If it's funny or interesting enough, it will be forwarded on its own merits. Let's not use the Internet to spread rumors or lie to people to trick them into forwarding an e-mail.

Other than e-mail spam, the e-mails that really piss me off are the religious and/or inspirational story e-mails. Not because of their content, but because of the guilt-inducing instructions at the bottom that psychologically bully you to forward the e-mail to "everyone on your list." You know the drill ... comments like, "Funny how we forward dirty jokes to everyone, but we're choosier when we forward God's word to those on our list because we don't want to offend them, " and "Are you ashamed to send this e-mail, for Christ said if you are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of you," and "If you delete this, may God have mercy on your soul." To the origianl authors of those e-mails who put those words at the end of your stories, did you have to say that? First, I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what I can do with my e-mail. Second, if the message is interesting enough, I would be more than willing to share it with those who I think would appreciate it. Finally, using the above-referenced comments was very uncalled for. If you feel the need to include psychological threats to forward your message, you shouldn't bother sending the message.

Am I the only one who feels this way?