Just
Posted April 15, 2011 @ 12:46 pm
“Can’t you just…?”
“Why doesn’t this just…?”
“This should just…”
“Why can’t this just…?”
Yep. Getting really sick of the word “just.” I’m going Sam-Jackson-in-Pulp-Fiction on the next person who uses that word to oversimplify what I do.
Think about it; would you ask your doctor to just cure your cancer? Would you ask your personal trainer to just make you skinnier? Would you ask a scientist to just send some people to Mars? Would you ask a writer to just bang out a few new novels?
When used this way, “just” has two very, very bad connotations.
- It shouldn’t take you long to fulfill my request because…
- Your work is easy.
You’ve demeaned a colleague by telling him or her that the job he or she does is inherently simple. Nice work, jackass.
Seriously, never make the assumption that someone else’s job involves nothing but trivial work. I’ve yet to meet a professional whose job is wholly uncomplicated. Always assume that the people you’re working with have jobs that are harder than yours. Always. Once you do, you’ll probably never use the word “just” when making a request, because you’ll realize that it makes you look like a 4-year-old asking mom to cut her steak for her.
Maybe this is more prevalent on the Web where developers seemingly wave magic wands and make things appear and disappear. No one sees what happens inside the black box, so they assume that it’s simple. I’m here to tell you that, brother, it ain’t.
