I might be wrong here, but I don't hear men use this phrase when talking about anything besides sports. Women on the other hand, most often use this phrase when turning down men. I could not count the number of times I have heard an excuse followed by, "But can I get a Rain check?"
One would think this is such a positive word. Which it is a positive word. But, this positive word has a very negative annotation. When a man hears this phrase he's thinking to himself, "She just can't do it tonight but she definitely seems like she wants to get together another time."
How are we so naive gentlemen?
I have spoke to my female friends a few times about this phrase, and all but one of them agreed that the phrase is meant to sound positive, but that it indeed is not. This is a positive word only in the aspect that it is not meant to hurt. A hurtful person would easily say, "No, not tonight, and probably not ever". But that is mean, and apparently women don't like to always be mean when turning down a guy, so they use the rain check as an escape. An alternate. A way to keep a man's self esteem high. I agree that it sounds so much better, and even keeps me in a better mood to hear a woman say she's up for another time rather than hearing a straight no, and then feeling completely rejected. It's like a mother telling her child that they can't have cookies at the grocery store this time, but next time she'll buy them. NO THEY WILL NOT!!! Again, this is an excuse to get the kid to shut up, stop crying, and look forward to next time, where it will be the same fricken result as this time. But yet like men, children will forget about the last time and hear the positiveness in a mothers voice telling them that next time they ask, it will be a different result.
Right now, I would love to come up with some other phrase/words that may sound positive but have negative meanings. Or vice versa. But my brain is shutting down since it is the end of the day, and it's my Friday. Anyone else care to share an example?
(I gave you an award) will comment on these shannanigans later :D
ReplyDeleteI think I've used the term "rain check" to cancel plans when I really wasn't feeling good, but I never really thought about it having negative connotations. Now I know.
ReplyDeleteOops...I've definitely used the rain check excuse a few times :/
ReplyDeleteIt's not you, it's me.
ReplyDelete(duh, I don't want to date you)
I'll have to check my schedule, I'm not sure.
(I need to see if anyone else wants to do something that day or if I really have nothing better to do)
Right now is not the right time in my life, I'm just not looking for anything serious... (a week later he/or/she) is dating someone else...
ReplyDelete