hey, nice post
the phrase “hey, nice ____” really seems to mean “oh hey, i just noticed you have ____. i was just thinking earlier that i would like to have ____ and you reminded me”
most recent was me taking my burning man bike onto an elevator. the thing is dirty, the chain looks like it was processed through a horse, there’s duct tape holding the left gear shift together, and the thing is a $30 bike to begin with. a random guy on the elevator looks at it and says “nice bike man”.
no it isn’t. a cursory glance would tell you it’s not a nice bike in it’s current state, however a similar cursory glance at you leads me to think that perhaps you were a person who was just thinking that biking sounds like a good idea, what with gas prices and exercise and all.
i have similar attitude to people who say “nice tattoos”. i think it’s more often than not a mental follow up to “oh hey, i sort of want tattoos and you look similar to what i’d be shooting for, image wise”.
- -
apparently today is “over-analysis of harmless societal rote performances”