We are defined not by our employment status. 99.99% of the time you ask someone what they do, they will list their occupation. It’s a self-defeating mindset, and we need to be aware of this.
I like to ask people what they like to do/spend their time on. It’s subtle enough to blend into a normal conversation but meaningful in that I’m trying to connect with someone about what they like.
It’s not self defeating, it’s an implicit understanding of unstated social context. In the comic, the direct leadup was talking about jobs when the question was asked. In the comic it was as direct context as possible without wording the question better.
99.99% of the time, people mean “What do you do for a living?”, and if they don’t and you wrongly assume they do, they can easily follow up with “Cool, and what do you do for fun/in your free time?”. Conversation stays flowing with no hitches.
If you want to change the general unstated social context (and I agree that we definitely should) don’t be abrasive/elitist/well ackshually with a person making small talk. Don’t introduce that hitch where you talk down to your conversation partner. That’s a great way to slam the brakes on any conversation.
If I was the asker in the comic, I’d be sorely tempted to start talking about the bodily functions that I do. If we’re gonna have a pedantry competition, I’m gonna win.
Anyway, you can introduce or specify the context of your answer with statements like “Well, to pay the bills I […], but I just do that so I can […]”. You can even reverse the order there so what fulfills you is the first answer. Keep things smooth.
That works for asking as well. I avoid the generic “What do you do?”. For me it’s always “So how do you spend your free time?” or “What do you enjoy doing?” for what brings them fulfillment. “What do you do for a living?” for what their job is. I specify.
Your job is still something you do, so just set the subcategory.
And like so many of these “and then everybody clapped” style of comics, that are pretty obviously a creator imagining a version of a real life event but where they were “cooler”…
If anyone was knocked silent by that response, it would only be from shock that you missed the context and then willfully doubled down on it.
That look wouldn’t be a moment of epiphany or something. It would be “Well great, I’m talking to someone lacking in social graces.”
Most people would respond by taking the conversation in the new direction of hobbies, or just correct the misunderstanding and ask what they did for a living to continue the original track.
You’re acting like she didn’t know the intended response was to talk about one’s self in terms of employment. This isn’t a lack of social understanding - its a difference in life priorities and self value.
Wooow sooo deep man. I could have never guessed or referenced anything that would have even remotely suggested that to be the case, I’m just utterly shocked for this new information. However can I thank you enough for opening my eyes? Thank god you made me aware with this shitty comic that doesn’t remotely manage to actually make that point, only thinks it does because of it’s naive sophistry that entirely relies on a semantics point that it can’t actually cover.
Yeah, it’s annyoing when people ask you “what do you do” but it’s also annyoing when people use “literally” as emphasis rather than it’s literal meaning. But we can still tell the two apart, and I’m certainly not autistic enough to actually stop a conversation to deadpan someone and say “uh, I think you mean ‘figuratively’”. Sometimes jokingly with a close friend, sure, but like, in public discourse? Nah. Because it’d also be wrong, because linguists agree colloquial language is descriptive instead of prescriptive.
So yeah, attempt to semantically shift the word all you want, I’ll be happy if you succeed, but I really don’t believe anyone will manage it in my lifetime.
Edit also all the things she liste are pretty much things you could do as a job. Even the playing with a puppy bit, as a dog sitter. So even she is employing the word with the context of a job related to it. She doesn’t talk about enjoying time with her puppy, she specifically mentions an activity with it. She doesn’t talk about just relaxing or thinking about pleasant things or enjoying sewing. No no, she specifically mentions labouring to produce clothing and gardening to produce produce (or flowers but a product nonetheless).
You’ve almost found the point.
We are defined not by our employment status. 99.99% of the time you ask someone what they do, they will list their occupation. It’s a self-defeating mindset, and we need to be aware of this.
I like to ask people what they like to do/spend their time on. It’s subtle enough to blend into a normal conversation but meaningful in that I’m trying to connect with someone about what they like.
This is the trick. “What do you do when not laboring under the thumb of capitalism?”
It’s not self defeating, it’s an implicit understanding of unstated social context. In the comic, the direct leadup was talking about jobs when the question was asked. In the comic it was as direct context as possible without wording the question better.
99.99% of the time, people mean “What do you do for a living?”, and if they don’t and you wrongly assume they do, they can easily follow up with “Cool, and what do you do for fun/in your free time?”. Conversation stays flowing with no hitches.
If you want to change the general unstated social context (and I agree that we definitely should) don’t be abrasive/elitist/well ackshually with a person making small talk. Don’t introduce that hitch where you talk down to your conversation partner. That’s a great way to slam the brakes on any conversation.
If I was the asker in the comic, I’d be sorely tempted to start talking about the bodily functions that I do. If we’re gonna have a pedantry competition, I’m gonna win.
Anyway, you can introduce or specify the context of your answer with statements like “Well, to pay the bills I […], but I just do that so I can […]”. You can even reverse the order there so what fulfills you is the first answer. Keep things smooth.
That works for asking as well. I avoid the generic “What do you do?”. For me it’s always “So how do you spend your free time?” or “What do you enjoy doing?” for what brings them fulfillment. “What do you do for a living?” for what their job is. I specify.
Your job is still something you do, so just set the subcategory.
And like so many of these “and then everybody clapped” style of comics, that are pretty obviously a creator imagining a version of a real life event but where they were “cooler”…
If anyone was knocked silent by that response, it would only be from shock that you missed the context and then willfully doubled down on it.
That look wouldn’t be a moment of epiphany or something. It would be “Well great, I’m talking to someone lacking in social graces.”
Most people would respond by taking the conversation in the new direction of hobbies, or just correct the misunderstanding and ask what they did for a living to continue the original track.
You’re acting like she didn’t know the intended response was to talk about one’s self in terms of employment. This isn’t a lack of social understanding - its a difference in life priorities and self value.
When someone asks that, it’s usually short for “what do you do for work”?, because that’s a big part of someone’s life.
Wooow sooo deep man. I could have never guessed or referenced anything that would have even remotely suggested that to be the case, I’m just utterly shocked for this new information. However can I thank you enough for opening my eyes? Thank god you made me aware with this shitty comic that doesn’t remotely manage to actually make that point, only thinks it does because of it’s naive sophistry that entirely relies on a semantics point that it can’t actually cover.
Yeah, it’s annyoing when people ask you “what do you do” but it’s also annyoing when people use “literally” as emphasis rather than it’s literal meaning. But we can still tell the two apart, and I’m certainly not autistic enough to actually stop a conversation to deadpan someone and say “uh, I think you mean ‘figuratively’”. Sometimes jokingly with a close friend, sure, but like, in public discourse? Nah. Because it’d also be wrong, because linguists agree colloquial language is descriptive instead of prescriptive.
So yeah, attempt to semantically shift the word all you want, I’ll be happy if you succeed, but I really don’t believe anyone will manage it in my lifetime.
Edit also all the things she liste are pretty much things you could do as a job. Even the playing with a puppy bit, as a dog sitter. So even she is employing the word with the context of a job related to it. She doesn’t talk about enjoying time with her puppy, she specifically mentions an activity with it. She doesn’t talk about just relaxing or thinking about pleasant things or enjoying sewing. No no, she specifically mentions labouring to produce clothing and gardening to produce produce (or flowers but a product nonetheless).