Why have we devolved to a society where shitty grammar is acceptable? My grammar isn’t perfect, but it isn’t two digit stupid either.

I understand that people are trying to be polite and are paying a compliment, but you don’t appreciate a person. You may appreciate what they did for you, or what they are going to do for you, or a service they offered you, but you don’t appreciate the person.

Until this became the recent buzzword saying, I used “appreciate” a lot. I would go to Lowe’s, and they would help me load the bags of concrete. “I really appreciate your help with loading those. Thank you".
At the grocery store “I really appreciate you taking the time to bag my bread separate from the canned corn, thank you". At the dentist’s office “I appreciate you squeezing me in today, I know you’re very busy, thank you”.

I can’t think of one situation where I would tell someone that I appreciate ‘them’.

I won’t ever say anything to anyone about it as they mean the best. I did say something to a good friend when I offered to sell him a Sunrider convertible top for his Jeep. He couldn’t afford it and said “thank you though. I appreciate you”. I called him out on it and dropped some knowledge, but in this situation it was okay. I have known him for 30 years, it’s different than saying it to the random person that doesn’t know me. (I ended up gifting him the Sunrider).

Anyways, that’s my rant for now.

Edited to add “Makes me feel a certain sort of way”… what the actual fuck. We speak English. We have a language with so many words, you can describe something is such great detail, easily.
I hear this used by people who can’t confront issues and either they were angered, or their feelings were hurt. So instead of just saying “you pissed me off” or “you hurt my feelings”, we get some mealy-mouthed statement of “it made me feel a certain sort of way”. As soon as I hear that I think “you’re a fucking bag of milk”.

I appreciate you and your grammarianism.

Old mom here. It’s been an education listening to younger moms (and dads) and the verbiage they use when discussing things with kids around.. so many high fives and “appreciation” as well as other pat phrases to encourage teamwork, feelings, etc. and adults are doing it to each other, too!

I don’t recollect any of this when I was a kid, tbh. Maybe it was more adults clinking beers around the grill, I dunno. It’s a different landscape, and I tread carefully because none of my words or phrases are couched near so thoughtfully. I try to keep my mouth shut, to smile and nod. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

We've become a lowest common denominator society.

"Anyways"?

quote:

Originally posted by ggile:
"Anyways"?

That one makes my teeth hurt.

"You feel me?"

No, I don't. We aren't that intimate. <cringe>

"Hey Boss!"

When my three sons were teenagers I taught them to say "yes sir" and "no sir"
to an adult. You wouldn't believe the looks on their faces sometimes.

quote:

I appreciate you

OK I'm glad that it's not just me going crazy here.

At work, all the young new employees I support will respond with that that phrase and it just sounds odd to me.

Must be some new trend.

Isn't it "I appreciate IT"?

Round here we shorten it to 'preciate cha.

Disrespected.

What stupidity.

You can show disrespect and you can be disrespectful, but you do not disrespect.

Do disrespect intended, except towards those that use disrespect inappropriately.

Why can’t you appreciate a person?

Appreciate is “to recognize the full worth of.” To add, of “some thing or someone”

So why exactly can’t you appreciate a person? It’s hardly shitty grammar.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
Why can’t you appreciate a person?

Appreciate is “to recognize the full worth of.” To add, of “some thing or someone”

So why exactly can’t you appreciate a person? It’s hardly shitty grammar.

You’re now asking me questions I can’t exactly answer as I did not excel in English class.

Appreciate is a transitive verb, which means that it requires a direct object.


Because you’re not actually appreciating the person. You’re appreciating the act they are doing.
Look at it this way, even a prostitute, one doesn’t appreciate her, one would appreciate the sex, or the BJ…
You don’t appreciate the car, you appreciate the way it accelerates, or the way it handles…

Best way I can describe it is that you can’t appreciate a person. You can appreciate the act they do.

quote:

Taken from the interwebs:
Instead of saying "I appreciate it", referring to an actual act that someone has done, I have noticed a trend where people say "I appreciate you" instead. This phraseology is intended to inflate someone's ego and cater to their desire to be needed, but falls flat when it comes to actually showing appreciation.

The industrialization of talking therapy in America has caused people to elevate feelings above facts. Saying "I appreciate you" implies you're actively listening and prioritizing the other person's actions but doesn't guarantee either of those things. Instead it's just a touchy-feely, lazy way to make someone think you care more than you actually do.

If you appreciate someone's action, tell them so, but this "I appreciate you" nonsense doesn't show appreciation for the actual action you're responding to at all, in fact it tends to minimize the effort they made.

I guess I can see the extensive use to the touchy feely side.

But I appreciate my wife, not for what she does but for who she is. I recognize her full worth without action.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
I guess I can see the extensive use to the touchy feely side.

But I appreciate my wife, not for what she does but for who she is. I recognize her full worth without action.

This is where someone is going to nail me on my lack of understanding proper English, but in your sentence above, you have objectified your wife. You are speaking ‘of’ her as an object, (you’re not speaking ‘to’ her) which then makes the transitive verb work correctly.

Speaking ‘to’ someone as an object, makes things sound weird.

Yeah, I know, I’m splitting hairs here.

I’ll sometimes say “appreciate it” or “‘preciate it” instead of “thank you”.

I’m from the South, so it’s ok.

"I like ice cream."

"I like you."

"I appreciate what you did for me."

"I appreciate you for picking up the ice cream on your way home."

"I appreciate you."

It all works for me.

"Like" is a personal preference; "appreciate" is the objective esteem for the intrinsic value.

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.