Spilled Expresso

"That doesn't seem like you."
"I can't see you doing that..."

Boy, do I love those phrases. They are particularly lovely when they occur during a discussion about your life aspirations and career goals. Is there a more obnoxious verbal slap in the face then being told this after expressing interest in particular career path or activity? Or worse, before you even have the opportunity to vocalize your opinion at all.
" I can see you being taken advantage of..." "I can see you being intimidated." "You'd be to afraid to do that." Just some of the wonderful phrases I have heard from people when discussing possible career aspirations. ugh. What makes someone an expert on what other people are willing, able and interested in doing? I mean, damn, people can know other people their whole lives and not really know everything about them.
When I hear people say things like " I can't picture you..."
It makes me wanna scream, "What the HeLL can you picture me doing?" Often, when I ask someone this they say something so far and opposite what I want to do, that the thought makes me want to vomit in my mouth.
In her book Thoughts, TLC group member Tionne T-BoZ Watkins discusses her song "Unpretty (based off her poem of the same name), Watkins said:

"Somebody once made a comment to me about Fanmail, they said 'Unpretty' didn't sound like TLC, I said, 'How can you say 'Unpretty' doesn't sound like me when you don't know all of me? You only know what I gave you on the last two albums."

That passage seems so fitting, so often.