What's the difference between Sarcasm and Criticism? It depends..
If you really want to belittle someone, just use Sarcasm.
If you only want to give a 'little push' to someone, use Criticism.
Take for example:
When one asks you a question like, "it's raining. What should I do?"
Your replies/answers can be:
A. Go out and wet yourself.
B. Stand on something which makes you the focus point in the rain.
C. What do you think you should do when it rains?
D. Proof to me that it is raining now, by adding +C.
If your answer is A and B, you are using Sarcasm.
If your answer is C and D, you are being just a 'little pushy'.
Most of the times, Criticism is a good way of saying things without hurting others. But when you get #@%*!! It is best to use Sarcasm. It always works effectively, as most people have the ability to recornise that the answer is wrong.
When I was small, I always asked, "Where should I put these (to refer to anything that I am carrying). My father always replied, "Put it on top of your head!"
I really felt like a "sucker" but it's a good way of educating your child.
OMG! I should not use "your child" again or else,people will demand for an apology again (baseless demand). Sarcasm really gets into your head, and sticks there almost in milliseconds.
It all depends on the question (most of the times). If you think the question is silly, answer back with sarcasm embedded in it. If you think it's just an innocent question, use Criticism. But if you think that is a question that is silly and innocent, just "bang your head on the wall!"
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Art of Criticising (Case Study)
When is criticism appreciated or will it ever be appreciated? Most people cannot take criticism, while the rest don't even know that it is a criticism. The writer is one of those. So, how does one know that he/she is being criticised?
Let's take a look at an actual case study which happened at the workplace: The Chair issue.
A complainant tells the authorities that the chair isn't suitable for her height (and this person is an extremely tall person who needs a high chair). Refer to some research about the relationship between chair, height and weight of a person. However, the authorities take it sensitively, assuming that the complainant is being insensitive to others for using the term "your sick child" to mean the person's sick child. (FYI, the complainant is "sick" in the back and neck due to prolong sitting on the current chair).
Some people are so shallow that they cannot differentiate between an analogy and a direct,personal attack. And the war goes on and on and on in the workplace, all because of The Chair Issue.
The worst part of the comment is "I have been sitting on chairs for many years in so and so company, and I don't feel the pain at all." Well, Wake Up and Smell The Flowers (The Writer's favourite line) because this person is comparing his "average" size with the average chair he is sitting in. Guess who the person is??
In this case, the writer chose to keep quiet and laugh at the funny explanation given by the authority. The "linkage" is proven to be weak. So, sometimes, it is good to accept criticism...and keep quiet for, he who laughs last has the best laugh.
In Critical Thinking, both the refutations are irrelevant.
1. The "sick child" does not refer to the immediate person's sick child. Therefore, a demand for apology was never met. Fellow "educated" workers in the office could only watch and give a wry smile at the sillyness.
2. Using "himself" as a yardstick to show to others that there is no problem sitting on average chair is obviously wrong, for the person cannot even be classified as a "yardstick." Again, the sillyness is proven for the second time.
The moral of the story is Keep Quiet and Laugh at the Situation.
William Shakespeare has always said, "The World is a Stage."
This is the God's Art of Criticising, where criticism does not require language but a criticism from a psychological point of view.
Let's take a look at an actual case study which happened at the workplace: The Chair issue.
A complainant tells the authorities that the chair isn't suitable for her height (and this person is an extremely tall person who needs a high chair). Refer to some research about the relationship between chair, height and weight of a person. However, the authorities take it sensitively, assuming that the complainant is being insensitive to others for using the term "your sick child" to mean the person's sick child. (FYI, the complainant is "sick" in the back and neck due to prolong sitting on the current chair).
Some people are so shallow that they cannot differentiate between an analogy and a direct,personal attack. And the war goes on and on and on in the workplace, all because of The Chair Issue.
The worst part of the comment is "I have been sitting on chairs for many years in so and so company, and I don't feel the pain at all." Well, Wake Up and Smell The Flowers (The Writer's favourite line) because this person is comparing his "average" size with the average chair he is sitting in. Guess who the person is??
In this case, the writer chose to keep quiet and laugh at the funny explanation given by the authority. The "linkage" is proven to be weak. So, sometimes, it is good to accept criticism...and keep quiet for, he who laughs last has the best laugh.
In Critical Thinking, both the refutations are irrelevant.
1. The "sick child" does not refer to the immediate person's sick child. Therefore, a demand for apology was never met. Fellow "educated" workers in the office could only watch and give a wry smile at the sillyness.
2. Using "himself" as a yardstick to show to others that there is no problem sitting on average chair is obviously wrong, for the person cannot even be classified as a "yardstick." Again, the sillyness is proven for the second time.
The moral of the story is Keep Quiet and Laugh at the Situation.
William Shakespeare has always said, "The World is a Stage."
This is the God's Art of Criticising, where criticism does not require language but a criticism from a psychological point of view.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Irony: The Commonly Overlooked Term
What's IRONY? The answer is simple. Irony is one of the four confusing brothers. The confusing brothers are literally confusing that most people tend to confuse them with all other things.
Let's put it this way..
CASE 1: Most people say that Cap P cars are low in quality. Yet, most people buy it. Isn't that ironic?
CASE 2: A person claims that rock songs degrade culture X. Yet, most rock music are favoured by people from culture X. Isn't that ironic?
CASE 3: Analyse Alanis Morisette's song "IRONIC."
So, what IS Irony? They are plain sentences which contradict with each other. Or IOW, they are hypocritical statements, said to project an idea/message which is the direct opposite of the original claim.
Read these Ironic sentences..
"You have come so far for so very little"..Willy Russell in ER
"Only those capable of ugliness can be beautiful" ...Peter Goldsworthy in M
From A Writer who doesn't write. Isn't it Ironic?
Let's put it this way..
CASE 1: Most people say that Cap P cars are low in quality. Yet, most people buy it. Isn't that ironic?
CASE 2: A person claims that rock songs degrade culture X. Yet, most rock music are favoured by people from culture X. Isn't that ironic?
CASE 3: Analyse Alanis Morisette's song "IRONIC."
So, what IS Irony? They are plain sentences which contradict with each other. Or IOW, they are hypocritical statements, said to project an idea/message which is the direct opposite of the original claim.
Read these Ironic sentences..
"You have come so far for so very little"..Willy Russell in ER
"Only those capable of ugliness can be beautiful" ...Peter Goldsworthy in M
From A Writer who doesn't write. Isn't it Ironic?
Friday, September 18, 2009
What's in a Metaphor?
Metaphor, or another way of referring to things without referring to it directly is a way of conveying a message which have hidden and most often multiple meanings/interpretations. Metaphor, most often can only be understood by those who share similar topic of discussion, interest or brainwave, where only The Chosen Ones can decipher what the "real" codes are.
So, what do all the metaphors used in the stories mean?
1. Land of the Dinosaur
2. Land of the Copernicus
3. Lady of the House
Quick check..
1. Where do dinosaurs live?
2. What the the characteristics of a tyrannosaurus?
3. Where does Copernicus work?
4. Why does a lady build a house in the Land of the Dinosaurs?
Use your critical thinking/analysis to find out the answers. Remember to relate the answers to the Writer...The background reveals a lot about the writer's thoughts. Have fun cracking the Co-Co-Nut.
p/s: The Writer was quite pissed off that a guest dropped by without any appointments and therefore, she was in a Pissed Off Mode which was transferred to the earlier post. A correction was made. The error was regretted.
A Denouement in the Stories
Confused after reading the stories? Fret not. GTK7.5 is coming to the rescue.
This method of telling stories is what we call Denouement, pronounced as day-noo-moon. Well, it is about revealing the "hidden meaning" behind the plot of the story. In relation this, the writer is now at the Denouement stage...revealing the plot of the story.
Unfortunately, this writer, being secretive as she is, uses animals as the characters in her story, which reflects the use of Symbolism, which then connotes the characters to "behaving like animals"in a place metaphorised as "Land of the Dinosaurs."
A quick check...The characters are represented by animals, which compares or rather, connotes the characters to "animals", who live in a place called "Land of the Dinosaurs." Are you confused? Well, this is what the writer "yackety yacks" about in class which leaves her poor students wandering in the Land of Copernicus.
Still finding it difficult to decipher? As the writer's biography states...It is to be read by The Critical Chosen Ones..And yes, you are the ones. Chosen by the God and not the King..chehehe.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Co-Co-Nut and Grey Matters
It's sad, isn't it? Many a times, graduates are expected to be knowledgeable. But most of the times, I see Panda Faced students....Huge, Big eyes, Staring and Looking at me as I lecture in front of the class.. You know that stare, don't you?
The BLANK expressionless faces which blink, blink, blink as you "yackety yack" and they go "konk konk konk" and then Wakeup and dont-know-what-the-hell she is talking about? Well, thank god, my students have become more alive as time passes...With lots of input given to them.
Today, I asked my students, "What possible meanings can you derive from the sentence: Customers at Laundromats are required remove their clothes when the machine stops."
And problems start to happen...There is only ONE answer for that. Sigh...I think I need to knock my head on the wall.
As for the answer, you go figure it out yourself. Whatever my complaints are, I will never be upset with my students. They are cute creatures..compared to the monsters lurking out there..
Monday, September 7, 2009
Critical Thinking and Language
Words, if used carelessly can hurt others and it depends on how it is said and the intended meaning. The problem here with thinking depends on the communication process.
In a communication process, the speaker speaks while the listener listens. Both speakers and listeners take turns to speak and listen. However, in the process of communication there are other processes which are involved. The message is decoded and encoded and many times, it very much depends on the language.
So, what is in the LANGUAGE? Is studying language difficult? Or rather to be more specific, in what language are we communicating now? Yes, English language. What puzzles me all the time is, why do students come to me telling me that they want to improve and learn English? They have been studying the language for almost 11 years and yet they are still trying very hard to master the language.
By the way, I am an English language lecturer by profession. English Language is my life as I do everything in English, except that I don't look English but I am as tall as other Englishmen and women out there.
In a communication process, the speaker speaks while the listener listens. Both speakers and listeners take turns to speak and listen. However, in the process of communication there are other processes which are involved. The message is decoded and encoded and many times, it very much depends on the language.
So, what is in the LANGUAGE? Is studying language difficult? Or rather to be more specific, in what language are we communicating now? Yes, English language. What puzzles me all the time is, why do students come to me telling me that they want to improve and learn English? They have been studying the language for almost 11 years and yet they are still trying very hard to master the language.
By the way, I am an English language lecturer by profession. English Language is my life as I do everything in English, except that I don't look English but I am as tall as other Englishmen and women out there.
Fact Finding about the Writer
Well, let's get to the basics. Background is the fundamental and crucial information which allows you to relate to any information. For a start, let's try to do some fact finding about the writer's background.
The writer is obviously a Japanese movie fan of GTO, which was a hit in the 2000's. The movie features a teacher, Okinawa who is able to reach out to his students. He is adored by the students for his wit and impressive leadership skills, which are recognised and accepted by all. In English, it is called Great Teacher Onizuka.
Next, what is the difference between GTO and GTK? We know that the letter "O"stands for Onizuka. But what about the letter "K"? Obviously it is the name of the writer, which we will put aside to reflect later on.
Third, what is the relationship between the letter "GT"? Both the writer and Okinawa are teachers by profession. They relate well with their students in school and college. They are well respected for their passion in helping students finding their dreams. They also share the similarity where both are able to control and lead students, regardless how good or bad they are.
Fourth, what the relationship between the letters and numbers? Again it's in the background. The writer's post gradate thesis is related to word and numbers. And of all numbers why 7.5? The decimal number reveals that the writer is an eccentric person who believes that there is no clear cutting line between anything.
Lastly, how has the writer's life relate to short stories about animals? It is due to her past experience being with people who behave like animals. Each individual carry an animal trait which amuses the writer or sometimes, upsets the writer. And when emotions are involved, the writer is obviously a female as females tend to be emotional.
The writer is obviously a Japanese movie fan of GTO, which was a hit in the 2000's. The movie features a teacher, Okinawa who is able to reach out to his students. He is adored by the students for his wit and impressive leadership skills, which are recognised and accepted by all. In English, it is called Great Teacher Onizuka.
Next, what is the difference between GTO and GTK? We know that the letter "O"stands for Onizuka. But what about the letter "K"? Obviously it is the name of the writer, which we will put aside to reflect later on.
Third, what is the relationship between the letter "GT"? Both the writer and Okinawa are teachers by profession. They relate well with their students in school and college. They are well respected for their passion in helping students finding their dreams. They also share the similarity where both are able to control and lead students, regardless how good or bad they are.
Fourth, what the relationship between the letters and numbers? Again it's in the background. The writer's post gradate thesis is related to word and numbers. And of all numbers why 7.5? The decimal number reveals that the writer is an eccentric person who believes that there is no clear cutting line between anything.
Lastly, how has the writer's life relate to short stories about animals? It is due to her past experience being with people who behave like animals. Each individual carry an animal trait which amuses the writer or sometimes, upsets the writer. And when emotions are involved, the writer is obviously a female as females tend to be emotional.
Understanding the stories
One of the ways of reading the posts is to use some Critical Thinking skills, yet not many of us know that we actually possess the skills to be critical thinkers. Because we tend to focus on what we can do, we fail to realise the power of our brain. At conscious level, we try very hard to remember the details but at the unconscious level (under hypnosis), researchers found that there is far more information that we can recall at the unconscious state of mind.
The short stories appear to be ordinary, fictional animal characters at a glance. But, you need to read between the lines. There is more than just the animal characters. One way to understand the stories is to find out the context in which the content is written.
Over a thousand and one times, we are told to "read between the lines". However, do we actually know what is reading between the lines? What IS reading between the lines? This is one very good example where we can try to read between the lines.
The first and only way is to relate, associate, connect and link to the writer. And in this case, that's me. Find out more information about this writer's background. In this case, the background does reveal a lot of things about the writer.
Notice that the writer uses a fictional name called "GTK7.5." Let's try to be critical here.
1. What is the relationship between letters and numbers?
2. What does GTK stands for?
3. Why of all infinite numbers, the number 7.5 is chosen?
4. Why, of all odd and even numbers, the writer chose a number with decimal points as a name?
5. From the name, can you guess of which gender the writer is?
Negative, aren't they? You have no clues of this person's background and therefore, you are unable to link, connect, associate and relate the short stories as a way to read between the lines.
Read more on the shocking revelations of having Critical Thinking, an ability which can be turned into a powerful tool anywhere...that's all for today.
The short stories appear to be ordinary, fictional animal characters at a glance. But, you need to read between the lines. There is more than just the animal characters. One way to understand the stories is to find out the context in which the content is written.
Over a thousand and one times, we are told to "read between the lines". However, do we actually know what is reading between the lines? What IS reading between the lines? This is one very good example where we can try to read between the lines.
The first and only way is to relate, associate, connect and link to the writer. And in this case, that's me. Find out more information about this writer's background. In this case, the background does reveal a lot of things about the writer.
Notice that the writer uses a fictional name called "GTK7.5." Let's try to be critical here.
1. What is the relationship between letters and numbers?
2. What does GTK stands for?
3. Why of all infinite numbers, the number 7.5 is chosen?
4. Why, of all odd and even numbers, the writer chose a number with decimal points as a name?
5. From the name, can you guess of which gender the writer is?
Negative, aren't they? You have no clues of this person's background and therefore, you are unable to link, connect, associate and relate the short stories as a way to read between the lines.
Read more on the shocking revelations of having Critical Thinking, an ability which can be turned into a powerful tool anywhere...that's all for today.
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