Take care, drive safe, and so on (1 Viewer)

[Gary->dee]

What(dramatic pause) exactly is the purpose of telling someone to "take care", "drive safe", "be safe" or even "have fun" and so on? I mean is the person you're telling this to supposed to remember these verbal gems at the right moment and suddenly adjust their mannerisms because YOU told them to? I understand it's normal protocal, good manners, routine, habit, etc. but I'm becoming more leery of these often uttered phrases that in the end, mean nothing. It's as if in lew of saying simply "good-bye" or "bye" people have to get personal and cast this magical verbal spell upon someone that is leaving.

Hey I'm driving like an ass but I just remembered that Gary told me to drive safe so I better do so!

And what exactly does "take care" mean? Take care of what and how? Is "take care" and other likewise verbal good gestures pseudo-blessings in disguise? As if you're invoking a spirit or an angel that will suddenly attach itself to the person you tell this to because otherwise it won't happen and the person that's leaving will NOT take care or be safe and for that matter die a horrible death?

OH GOD they're dead! If I'd only told them to "take care" or "drive safe" they wouldn't have died! Shit I told them to "have fun" instead!

Might as well tell someone "May the Force be with you" or "Live long and prosper".

Man I better live long and prosper because, you know, he told me to.

So are any of these old sayings commands, orders, blessings, friendly gestures, useless words or something else?

 

[Patrick_S]

Good God some people just have far too much time on their hands.

Why are these salutations meaningless? Because you think they are meaningless?

Certainly when I say "take care" to my boss it is meaningless because I could care less but when I say it to some one I like or care for it is significant because I do wish them the best and there is no harm is expressing it verbally.

Take care. (I'll let you guess at the sincerity of that one)

 

[Rob Speicher]

Take...luck!

 

[Kirk Gunn]

"F-k off and die !"

(no one I know has lived by this gem yet....)

"Glad to see you go"

(does not require follow-up from recipient)

 

[John Watson]

"Here's your hat. What's your hurry?"

wordsworsdwordsworsdwoerdweirdzwurdsworldwithouten d....

 

[Philip_G]

simply a polite way to conclude a conversation. I think it's less a way to express your concern for their safety, and more a way of saying "OK it's time for you to go that way and me to go this way, bye"
but that's just me.

 

[Jay H]

I dunno, I've always ended conversations with "Bite me, you foul spewing mongrel".

Surprisingly, I don't talk to others that much anymore.

Piss off!

 

[Philip_G]

I was thinking about it as I typed that, I speak with mostly europeans at work, and the most awkward part of the conversation is ending it, most americans take subtle little hints that it's time to go, sometimes the people I speak with don't, that's why I notice things like that I guess.

sometimes they speak in one huge run-on like I'm typing this morning.

 

[Scott Strang]

Who cares?

 

[Scott Strang]

.. I speak with mostly europeans at work, and the most awkward part of the conversation is ending it,..

Just say "This discussion is terminated."

 

[John Watson]

I'll be back!

 

[John Thomas]

Gary, ever considered therapy?

 

[Will Pomeroy]

Take...luck!

Take luck and care, take care of the luck. Good luck taking care of the luck you might have, if you have luck. Take it, care for it. TAKE LU- CARE OF IT IT! WHEN YOU TAKE ALL CARE OF AHRAHHRHA AHRARHR AHR!H!!HAH...

You're sure to see them again.



I wonder how many people well catch this....

 

[MikeSerrano]

Gary->dee, you've hit upon a favorite subject of mine: Goodbyes and Sending Love (and the source of my sig).

Courtesy of George Carlin:

Have you noticed this? Sometimes you'll get in a rut with they way you say goodbye. Do you find yourself using the same phrase over and over again with everybody? And you feel a little stupid, you know?

Like if you're leaving a party and you have to say goodbye to 5 or 6 people in a row. And you say:

"Okay, hey take it easy."
"Okay, hey take it easy."
"Okay, hey take it easy."
"Okay, hey take it easy."
"Okay, hey take it easy."

You feel like a goddamn moron.

So you know what I do? Every month I change the way I say goodbye. Whether I need to or not, every month I start using a different phrase. People like that--they notice that little extra effort.

They'll say to me, "pardon me, but didn't you use to say, 'okay, hey take it easy'?" and I say, "Yes I did, but not anymore." Now I say, "Farewell!"
"Farewell 'til we meet again."
"Peace be with you."
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house." That's a strong one isn't? People will remember you if you talk like that.

Or sometimes you can combine several ways to say goodbye that don't seem to go together. Like, "toodle-oo, go with God and don't take any wooden nickels." Then people don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

Or you can say goodbye in a realistic manner: "So long Steve. Don't let self-doubt interfere with your plans to improve your life."

Now here's a situation you run into all the time. Do you notice how when you're leaving someone many times they'll give you a message to give to someone else? Like they'll say, "Give my love to Klaus."
"Tell Klaus Rebecca sends her love."
Do you mind that? Do you mind being used that way? Do you mind the awesome responsibility of having to carry Rebecca's love to Klaus?

Suppose you don't see Klaus. What are you going to do with Rebecca's love? Carry it around? Give it to someone else, maybe: "Wilhelm, I can't find Klaus. Here's some of Rebecca's love."

Suppose Wilhelm doesn't know Rebecca. Can he legally accept her love? Especially when it was intended for Klaus.

Suppose you give Wilhelm Rebecca's love for Klaus and then you see Klaus, what are you going to give him? All you had was Rebecca's love and you've already gone and given that to Wilhelm. Can you logically ask Wilhelm to give back Rebecca's love to Klaus? Maybe he's gotten used to it by now. Can Klaus sue Wilhelm? Can Wilhelm be arrested? Can you be arrested for transporting love across a state line?

All right, just for the sake of argument, let's leave Wilhelm out of this altogether.

Suppose Rebecca gives you her love to give to Klaus and you do see Klaus. What form should the love take? Can you risk giving Klaus a toungue-kiss? Which brings up another problem: maybe Klaus is gay. Klaus doesn't want Rebecca's love. Klaus wants Wilhelms love! If Klaus tells you to give his love to Wilhelm, say "bullshit Klaus! You give your own love to Wilhelm. I'm going to find Rebecca."

And sometimes people want you to take a hug and a kiss to someone for them.

Now they've got you carrying cargo.

"Give them a big hug and a kiss for me!"

Usually it's women. I find that women are a little more expressive at times like these. And sometimes they're really explicit: "Bye, bye Elena. Drive carefully. And give Jake a big blowjob for me!"

Well, why don't you have Klaus take care of that for you?

-Mike

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Yes, Carlin is so right, even if he did get carried away a little.

Everyone is so used to saying things without thinking, especially with goodbyes - and hello's.

Everyone should really try this. I started doing it years ago and it is so funny. When you come up to your friend and you get asked something like, "How's it going?" Reply with, "Oh, so, so" or "really crappy".

Anyway, you get the idea. See how many of them actually heard what you said, and how many ignore it.

Glenn

 

[John Watson]

"See you later, alligator"

"In a while, crocodile"

Well, jeez, at least they used to busta rhyme

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

It's as if in lew of saying simply "good-bye" or "bye" people have to get personal and cast this magical verbal spell upon someone that is leaving.

1) Lieu is French for "place", hence "in lieu of".

2) What do you think "good-bye" means? It is excatly the kind of wish for good health/fortune/safety that you're complaining about. So why does it not offend you while the others do?

3) YES, these phrases are precisely a hold-over from a belief in the "magical" power of words. They originated as a blessing on the person leaving. The phrases remain in part out of habit, in part because they serve a useful social purpose - providing punctuation for a conversation at parting so that everyone knows when to shut up and leave already. This is much like saying "God bless you" when somebody sneezes. We may no longer believe that the soul is in mortal danger at the moment of a sneeze, but it is still considered polite to say something (other than "Eeeww, you got that on my sweater") as a reaction. And since sneezes are often a symptom of colds and allergies there's nothing wrong with wishing the person who may be so afflicted well.

4) "Take care" is shorthand for "Take care of yourself." People would use the entire phrase when speaking to you, but they thought you were smart enough to figure this out on your own.

5) Our language is full of little polite phrases that have no strong inherent meaning, but are verbal lubricants to keep conversations going or to end them cleanly, to allow strangers (like shop clerks and customers) to converse comfortably within social conventions that are comfortable for both, and which perform many other useful functions. They aren't meant to be taken literally. When the cashier at the durg store smiles and asks, "How are you today?" you are not required to list all of your aches and pains and to tell her about how the incision from last week's operation is draining.

Don't let the screen door hit you in the ass on the way out,

Joe

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Or as the Austrians say, "brech Sich das Bein und Arm"....

(hope I remember the spelling.)

 

[Gregg Shiu]

I wonder how many people well catch this....

Two so far. Take luck!

 

[Will Pomeroy]

Two so far. Take luck!

"You Too!"