DeletedUser30834
I find it interesting the so many people are dwelling on the facts of the anecdote instead of the point of it. The point is that many people can and do use the "it could be worse", "I had it worse", or "someone I know had it worse", excuse to ignore the original request or situation brought to them for whatever reason and it somehow seems to common that it's acceptable in many circles.
I think it's connected to the fact that many of the advances in technology that makes life easier doesn't necessarily make it as much easier as it does different and we are more capable of accepting the differences until it becomes or appears to become a burden. But once that burden rears it's ugly head, the easiest cop out would be reverting back to the "X worse" lines of reasoning.
I had a personal experience with this as a kid, my mother worked the graveyard shift and my father worked the AM shift. So mom was just getting home from working all night at the factory when we would be going to school, and dad would be on his way to work before breakfast was finished. One day, I needed to take a poster board project to school for an assignment I was working on and it started snowing a thick wet snow. I asked for a ride to school instead walking the ten minutes because of the snow, and I was promptly not only told about, but shown pictures of my father walking to school in 2 feet of snow. She was tired and worn out and wanted to get us off to school to get some sleep. Once she saw me carrying my assignment, she then drove me to school so it wouldn't get wet and ruined.
The "it could be worse" excuse is just a sign of frustration concerning a burden of some sort. It's why it's acceptable. It's the same reason we can justify paying $10 more for something on this side of town verses driving 20 minutes to the other side of town then driving another 20 minutes extra back for the same thing $10 cheaper. It's why people will spend twice as much per serving of something and buy it in a gas station or corner convenience store verses going to the nearest groceries store or mega mart for it.
I think it's connected to the fact that many of the advances in technology that makes life easier doesn't necessarily make it as much easier as it does different and we are more capable of accepting the differences until it becomes or appears to become a burden. But once that burden rears it's ugly head, the easiest cop out would be reverting back to the "X worse" lines of reasoning.
I had a personal experience with this as a kid, my mother worked the graveyard shift and my father worked the AM shift. So mom was just getting home from working all night at the factory when we would be going to school, and dad would be on his way to work before breakfast was finished. One day, I needed to take a poster board project to school for an assignment I was working on and it started snowing a thick wet snow. I asked for a ride to school instead walking the ten minutes because of the snow, and I was promptly not only told about, but shown pictures of my father walking to school in 2 feet of snow. She was tired and worn out and wanted to get us off to school to get some sleep. Once she saw me carrying my assignment, she then drove me to school so it wouldn't get wet and ruined.
The "it could be worse" excuse is just a sign of frustration concerning a burden of some sort. It's why it's acceptable. It's the same reason we can justify paying $10 more for something on this side of town verses driving 20 minutes to the other side of town then driving another 20 minutes extra back for the same thing $10 cheaper. It's why people will spend twice as much per serving of something and buy it in a gas station or corner convenience store verses going to the nearest groceries store or mega mart for it.