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  3. What are some backhanded compliments that are very subtle?

What are some backhanded compliments that are very subtle?

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  • bizarroland@lemmy.worldB [email protected]

    The only one I've ever pulled off on the spur of a moment unintentionally is when my asshole stepdad broke his foot and I ended up casually quipping to him, "you gotta work hard in order to get a leg up in the world".

    bizarroland@lemmy.worldB This user is from outside of this forum
    bizarroland@lemmy.worldB This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote last edited by
    #47

    I also just remembered that I later told him he's got to put his foot down on some issue his job was complaining about.

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    • K [email protected]

      It may be backhanded or not

      L This user is from outside of this forum
      L This user is from outside of this forum
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      wrote last edited by
      #48

      I think it's backhanded because it implies that the person doesn't usually look good any other day.

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      • S This user is from outside of this forum
        S This user is from outside of this forum
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        wrote last edited by
        #49

        Very nice.

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • S [email protected]

          You too? Haven't been able to edit for a couple of weeks. I think it has to do with a ban on some comm.

          K This user is from outside of this forum
          K This user is from outside of this forum
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          wrote last edited by
          #50

          I can be more than a little annoying at times. Wouldn't surprise me if this was the reason lol

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          • G [email protected]

            I bet you're fun at parties.

            P This user is from outside of this forum
            P This user is from outside of this forum
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            wrote last edited by
            #51

            Why do you assume that the person advocating to not be an asshole wouldn't be fun at parties?

            G 2 Replies Last reply
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            • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

              I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.




              Edit: I realized that I was imagining something like how the Colbert Report was done where it’s easy to believe I’m agreeing when really I’m spoofing.

              G This user is from outside of this forum
              G This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote last edited by
              #52

              Well, not terribly subtle, but if you are fighting with your spouse and they complain that you never say anything nice about their family, you can respond with:

              "Well, I have to say that your in-laws are better than my in-laws"

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              • P [email protected]

                Why do you assume that the person advocating to not be an asshole wouldn't be fun at parties?

                G This user is from outside of this forum
                G This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote last edited by
                #53

                you poor sweet thing. you might be the brightest crayon in the box but that blunt tip makes it hard to stay in the lines. (I mean this in the most positive way. not all crayons are perfect, and they don't need to be)

                I'll spoon feed it to you.

                they responded to a post asking for backhanded compliments by outright calling OP an asshole for asking for backhanded compliments and had the audacity to not even provide what OP asked for.

                I then took the opportunity to provide a tongue-in-cheek response that was a backhanded compliment and an appropriate response to someone who completely ignored the the whole point of the post.

                what they did was akin to walking up to a conversation between people at a party, interjecting when they felt offended by the content that they involved themselves in, and calling everyone an asshole.

                what an asshole thing to do, right?

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                • P [email protected]

                  Why do you assume that the person advocating to not be an asshole wouldn't be fun at parties?

                  G This user is from outside of this forum
                  G This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote last edited by
                  #54

                  you poor sweet thing. you might be the brightest crayon in the box but that blunt tip makes it hard to stay in the lines. (I mean this in the most positive way. not all crayons are perfect, and they don't need to be)

                  I'll spoon feed it to you.

                  you responded to a post asking for backhanded compliments by outright calling OP an asshole for asking for backhanded compliments and had the audacity to not even provide what OP asked for.

                  I then took the opportunity to provide a tongue-in-cheek response that was a backhanded compliment and an appropriate response to someone who completely ignored the the whole point of the post.

                  what you did was akin to walking up to a conversation between people at a party, interjecting when you felt offended by the content that you involved yourself in, and called everyone an asshole.

                  what an asshole thing to do, right?

                  P 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • G [email protected]

                    you poor sweet thing. you might be the brightest crayon in the box but that blunt tip makes it hard to stay in the lines. (I mean this in the most positive way. not all crayons are perfect, and they don't need to be)

                    I'll spoon feed it to you.

                    you responded to a post asking for backhanded compliments by outright calling OP an asshole for asking for backhanded compliments and had the audacity to not even provide what OP asked for.

                    I then took the opportunity to provide a tongue-in-cheek response that was a backhanded compliment and an appropriate response to someone who completely ignored the the whole point of the post.

                    what you did was akin to walking up to a conversation between people at a party, interjecting when you felt offended by the content that you involved yourself in, and called everyone an asshole.

                    what an asshole thing to do, right?

                    P This user is from outside of this forum
                    P This user is from outside of this forum
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                    wrote last edited by [email protected]
                    #55

                    I suggest that in the future you save the condescension for the end, not the start, if you want the recipient to actually finish reading your message.

                    G 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • P [email protected]

                      I suggest that in the future you save the condescension for the end, not the start, if you want the recipient to actually finish reading your message.

                      G This user is from outside of this forum
                      G This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote last edited by
                      #56

                      couldn't care less if you read it or not.

                      you asked for me to explain myself, I did.

                      read it. don't read it.

                      1000002033

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                      • N [email protected]

                        "I've never heard anyone express an option like that out loud before."

                        "What a unique approach to the problem!"

                        "I bet you played football in highschool, right?"

                        "Has anyone ever told you that you'd look good in a uniform?"

                        otter@lemmy.dbzer0.comO This user is from outside of this forum
                        otter@lemmy.dbzer0.comO This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote last edited by
                        #57

                        It's a good thing you're pretty.

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                        • T [email protected]

                          (i subtlety downvoted you)

                          otter@lemmy.dbzer0.comO This user is from outside of this forum
                          otter@lemmy.dbzer0.comO This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote last edited by
                          #58

                          And misspelled "subtly"? You're really typing with both fists today!

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                          • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

                            I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.




                            Edit: I realized that I was imagining something like how the Colbert Report was done where it’s easy to believe I’m agreeing when really I’m spoofing.

                            T This user is from outside of this forum
                            T This user is from outside of this forum
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                            wrote last edited by
                            #59

                            You're excused

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                            • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

                              I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.




                              Edit: I realized that I was imagining something like how the Colbert Report was done where it’s easy to believe I’m agreeing when really I’m spoofing.

                              akasazh@feddit.nlA This user is from outside of this forum
                              akasazh@feddit.nlA This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote last edited by [email protected]
                              #60

                              This works only in Dutch. I used to work in the service industry, where every now and then you'd have rude or ungrateful people.

                              In Dutch, the formal way of saying 'thank you' is 'Dank u', but that's very close in pronunciation to French 'dans cul', meaning 'in the ass'.

                              So with people I secretly loathed I would thank them with an ever so slight French twang.

                              zachariah@lemmy.worldZ H 2 Replies Last reply
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                              • akasazh@feddit.nlA [email protected]

                                This works only in Dutch. I used to work in the service industry, where every now and then you'd have rude or ungrateful people.

                                In Dutch, the formal way of saying 'thank you' is 'Dank u', but that's very close in pronunciation to French 'dans cul', meaning 'in the ass'.

                                So with people I secretly loathed I would thank them with an ever so slight French twang.

                                zachariah@lemmy.worldZ This user is from outside of this forum
                                zachariah@lemmy.worldZ This user is from outside of this forum
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                                wrote last edited by
                                #61

                                that’s great

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                                • P [email protected]

                                  You can express your views about these people in a dispassionate manner as well. It’s not a choice between being a dick about it or agreeing with them. Nothing good comes from passive aggression. You’d probably consider that toxic too if it were directed at you or your opinions.

                                  L This user is from outside of this forum
                                  L This user is from outside of this forum
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                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #62

                                  If you don't say anything, they assume you agree with them. It's a fine line between letting them know you (maybe respectfully) disagree, vs. actively debating, but in some cases I think it's worthwhile to try to let them know you aren't inside their bubble. Agree outright dickishness is unhelpful, but so much depends on the specifics of the relationship and circumstances of delivery.

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                                  • O [email protected]

                                    You're at the top of the bell curve!

                                    O This user is from outside of this forum
                                    O This user is from outside of this forum
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                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #63

                                    The best part is that it isn't really an insult.

                                    Statistically speaking, any given person is most likely to be near the peak of the bell curve of a given thing.

                                    Someone being offended by it means that they think they're above average, and you think they're average. There's nothing wrong with being average...most people are.

                                    N 1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • C [email protected]

                                      You seem like management material.

                                      E This user is from outside of this forum
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                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #64

                                      Try to channel your best Ron Swanson while saying it.

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                                      • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

                                        I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.




                                        Edit: I realized that I was imagining something like how the Colbert Report was done where it’s easy to believe I’m agreeing when really I’m spoofing.

                                        O This user is from outside of this forum
                                        O This user is from outside of this forum
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                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #65

                                        "I love that you're not afraid to say just whatever comes to you."

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                                        • zachariah@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

                                          I may need to say something that is (seemingly) nice about someone, but I’d prefer it be very subtly backhanded or nearly believable hyperbole.




                                          Edit: I realized that I was imagining something like how the Colbert Report was done where it’s easy to believe I’m agreeing when really I’m spoofing.

                                          mrsdoyle@sh.itjust.worksM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          mrsdoyle@sh.itjust.worksM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #66

                                          One I came across in a novel I'm reading just now: "I wanted to tell her how happy she must be as a married woman now that she no longer have to bother with looking attractive".

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