These Three Magical Words Ended a Friendship
No… not “I love you”
Many will theorize that if a friendship could end over three words, then it was not meant to survive.
Others will argue that it is not the words that ended the friendship.
These assertions may be true — but I am curious about the opinions of others. The simple words sparked enduring conversations and strong opinions.
As the story begins, two girls celebrating a birthday leave the table of other guests, grab their purses, and head to the restroom.
The dissolution of a friendship ensues.
After twenty minutes, only the birthday girl came back — she was visibly upset. She complained about a narcissist who never took accountability for her actions and was always right.
“She has never been wrong in her life!” she seethed.
Why happened in the restroom? Apparently, the now-departed friend told the birthday girl, “You’re not wrong,” something she often said.
The argument was over something small, but it spurred a heated debate at the table.
You’re not wrong
The annoyed birthday girl exclaimed, “If I’m not wrong, then I am right, right ?”
An intently-listening coworker agreed with the birthday girl. He noted the importance of validating a person by agreeing.
Another confused guest disagreed and said that saying you’re not wrong implies the same thing, and that the semantics were unimportant.
This was the unexpected topic of the night — a spirited debate about the appropriateness of the phrase, “You’re not wrong.”
Many people will think this argument is trivial — many arguments are.
My question is, Are you right, are you wrong, or are you not wrong? Do you know someone who says “you’re not wrong” instead of “you are right?”
Is “you’re not wrong” an underhanded way of implying partial correctness? Or does it suggest total endorsement?
I need answers!
For the record, “you’re not wrong” is not in my lexicon.