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This one isn't funny

Posted by Robin Abrahams January 3, 2008 11:28 AM

Today's midmorning teabag tag: "Recognize that the other person is you."

Excuse me? This one isn't merely incomprehensible New Age blathery. No, the other person is not you, and figuring that out is step one to being a decent human being fit to play in the grand social sandbox. The other person's temperament is not yours. The other person's communication style is not yours. The other person's body, their professional success, their religion, their sexuality, their childhood, their fears, their hopes, their sicknesses, their genius, are not yours. To be able to truly grasp and internalize that is a huge part of what "growing up" means.

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About Miss Conduct Robin Abrahams writes the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine.
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Who is Miss Conduct?

Robin Abrahams writes the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine. Robin, who has a PhD in psychology from Boston University, has worked as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, which are given annually for achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think.

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