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Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 3:39:43 AM   
celticlord2112


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The latest installment of a newsletter I get weekly is a rather interesting read and I wanted to share it here.  Although it has an IT Management slant to it, the core theme of explanations vs excuses strikes me as a worthy topic regarding the D/s dynamic as well.  Change out "manager" and "employee" with "dominant"/"master" and "submissive"/"slave" and what he says rings just as true.

No excuse

Personally, I like the idea of eliminating the word "excuse" from the vocabulary. 

Comments?  Thoughts?


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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 3:56:37 AM   
Dnomyar


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There are ligit excuses. Take what anyone says with a grain of salt. You can make up any kind of crap you want.

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 4:29:40 AM   
ProtagonistLily


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quote:

Personally, I like the idea of eliminating the word "excuse" from the vocabulary.

Comments? Thoughts?


I thought this was really good, thanks for posting it.

Having managed large groups of people in my vanilla worklife and if a task or deadline is missed or screwed up, I'm less interested in the 'Why' and more interested in the 'right now'- meaning how are we going to correct the situation, move on, and prevent it from happening again. Any excuse will taint the forward motion of solving the current problem.

In my D/sM/s life, He doesn't have a lot of room for excuse either. He always wants to know what methods I'll be employing to correct immediately and prevent in the future. I'd love to say that every mistake/screwup/misstep I make is immediately corrected and never to appear again. I'd be a big liar. Some things have taken ongoing traning, but eventually I've been or am confident I will be, broken of the habit.

PL

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 5:50:09 AM   
OmegaG


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I'd like to add two more words to the accountibility mix, justification and reasons.  Excuses and explinations can be too closely linked but when one is truly trying to figure out who is accountable for something not happening figuring out if someone is giving you a justification or a reason makes it a bit easier.

Justifications-- first, the comments can usually be paraphrased into a sentance that starts out with "I feel justified for not getting it done because...." this means that the person was ill equiped to handle the situation, mentally, physically or technically, it also means that since they feel justified, they aren't going to do a damn thing to change their behaviour.  ie "I feel justified that I didn't make you dinner because the pans are too high up for me to reach"  This person has placed the responsibility away from themself because in esssence they are blaming another person for not providing the pans. 

Reasons-- generally reasons are more legitimate, the person acknowledges that there is a problem, defines what the problem is and will help problem solve to make sure it never happens again.  ie "The reason I didn't make dinner was because I forgot to remind you that I couldn't reach the pans, I looked in the basement and the garage for something to stand on, but couldn't find anything"   Usually followed by several suggestions to remedy the situation.

Justifications also tend to be simplistic, I couldn't do it and so I gave up sort of mentality, whereas a reason is identifying the problem, trying ones best to solve it and only after all attempts at resolution have been considered, admitting defeat.

As someone used to tell me, justifications are really a way to enable bad behaviour and to maintain it.  Many excuses are the same, IMO.

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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris

Sex without pain is like food without taste.
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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 6:04:08 AM   
Dnomyar


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Sporting events aside. Never admit defeat. Leave them at a standstill. 

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 6:07:49 AM   
celticlord2112


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Excuse, justification, reason.....all different types of explanations.

What I took from the article I reference in the OP is that quibbling over what type of explanation one is getting distracts from how to respond to the explanation. 

"X happened/did not happen because Y".  X is now part of the past and is unalterable.  All that remains to which to respond is Y.  Does parsing the language as to whether Y consitutes excuse, justification, or reason improve the response?


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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 6:09:51 AM   
OmegaG


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admitting that one doesn't have the physical/mental/technological skills to get something done means that the person has the ability to grow and learn.  Placing the blame elsewhere by saying that whoever delegated shouldn't have done it because you lacked something needed is shifting the blame and staying stagnent.

Teams who loose don't just go into the locker rooms and say "Oh, well, the other teams was bigger/stronger/better trained/had the refs on their side", they look at the tapes, looking for ways that they can improve and become a better team, not a bad practice if you ask me.  I tend to reflect on my past mistakes (especially in relationships) in the same way, I disregard the other side of the equation and focus on what I can do to improve me.

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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris

Sex without pain is like food without taste.
- de Sade

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 6:20:21 AM   
came4U


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I recently had to remove someone who was full of 'excuses' from my life.  A friend, not a close, good friend, but she really wanted my help..with depression.

Her own grown children can't handle her anymore and don't accept her calls and now I found out whyyyy. Yes, she is already medicated by a psychiatrist.

problem 1.  "I can't eat, I have noo appetite" she says.  She lives on a single bowl of cereal per day. "waa waa, im losing weight again nowwww".

my solution: I looked up appetite enhancers (peppermint, etc), things she can do to try to trigger a better appetite. I honestly tried to tell her that food, and the act of cooking it 'should' be a joyful experience.  She doesn't buy much groceries, so I suggested she go to a deli and buy diff sized samples. etc etc.

her immediate reaction: "ohh ok, will try it."  Next day: "oh blaaa, just cereal is fine for me, been doing it for years'.

Problem 2.  The man in her life, a 'loser' she calls him.  He 'walks about with slugged shoulders, like a cloud over him'.  He is miserable, yet nosey about her life. He has to be right there (he is a neighbor--double no no in my book) when she comes and goes. She even describes him as an 'emotional drain'.

My solution: Say 'ENOUGH' to him, since he is useless at giving any emotional support when she needs it.

Her immediate reaction: 'Yeah you are right". Next day reaction: "I can't just can't remove someone from my life that easily."

Problem 3: "I am bored, not in mood to go out, yet not in mood for tv or knitting anymore...."

my solution: Take up a new hobby, try something new, go out tomorrow and buy a needlecraft, mix it up, check the YMCA for something that interests you.

her immediate reaction: "yeahh, that sounds like a good idea".  Next day: "ohh, no I didn't go, I am not up to learn something new", :I can't afford it."

Problem 4: "I need you to talk to (wanted me to call her 2x daily) between shrink appointments (once a month).

my solution: tried the calling her 2x day for a solid week.  Also gave her numbers of emergency and as-needed mental health facilities that can give her appointments throughout the month.

Her immediate reaction: She jotted down the numbers and community resources very carefully.  Next day reaction: I ask if she called them. "yes, called the direct mental health crisis line, they only spoke to her 10 minutes she said and "No, didn't call the other agencies... they aren't for me" she says.

then it went back to complaints of her appetite. 

I stopped taking her calls.  It was sucking the life out of me, calling twice a day for an hour of her complaints. 

I cannot tolerate excuses. Some people just have to accept responsibility for the situation they are in and pull themselves up by their boot straps to change things. 

I felt bad for a short while then that stopped when I realized how exhausting she had become.  It didn't matter what I said..her excuses were never ending and monotonous. 


How does this relate to D/s? I'm not sure but, honestly, whatever it has to do with, whoever is on the end of recieving the excuses (be it Dom or sub) has either got to be a saint or just masochist sometimes to even tolerate it on a constant basis.  I know I can't.

Using Omega's analogy...yeah, sometimes we just gotta get our asses crawling up onto a cupboard to reach the pans.  Try, at least. geez.

< Message edited by came4U -- 6/17/2008 6:27:37 AM >

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 9:39:34 AM   
DesFIP


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Since his focus is on why, and not how to solve it when it comes to our relationship the no excuses wouldn't work for us. Telling him, no it didn't get done but this is how I propose to solve it would be a way of preventing him from knowing what's going on with me, including my emotional state. If I take all that inner knowledge away, and he is therefore unable to provide me with what I need (a caring shoulder and lover) then all we would have left would be an unpaid job. I'm not interested in being his go-fer at my own expense and receiving nothing in return.

In a job situation, if I took a gofer position, I would get money for it. I would know what the job entailed upfront and had the chance to ask what promotions would be available and what would be needed to be promoted from that position. If I was told the job was a minimum wage, dead end then I wouldn't accept it. If I wouldn't go for it for money, I sure won't do it for nothing.

The excuses are clues to my inner life, my emotional state. If he didn't want to know about that, then he doesn't want me, just any replacable warm body.

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 9:43:09 AM   
shivermetimbers


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There's an old saying, "Inspect what you expect."  I know where I work, there is a lot I must delegate.  But no matter how much I trust someone to get something done, sometimes tasks don't get completed for a myriad of reasons.  So instead of waiting till the last minute, I do a quick check to ensure all tasks are completed.  When they aren't done, I let whoever know, and they go back and correct the situation, and then there is no need to hear excuses or explanations.  If there is someone new I've not worked with, before I delegate anything I find out what their level of experience and knowledge is first.  I can't expect someone on the first day of the job to function as independently as someone who has been there for a couple of years, even though they carry the same job description.

I think this relates somewhat to a D/s relationship.  Anything a submissive is required to do, it is the dominant's responsibility to know that the submissive is capable of performing the task and if any supervision is needed, and that the appropriate resources are available.  One should never assume anyone automatically knows how to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.  The submissive's responsibility is letting the dominant know truthfully what they are capable of performing, or what resources, training, or help may be needed in accomplishing a task.  If the task fails to be completed, or is done inadequately, it's not a time for excuses, explanation or blame, it's time to figure out what problems existed for the poor outcome.  This is where good, honest communication in a relationship comes in.  And if the problems can be fixed, great. If not, then this might be the point to where both dominant and submissive might want to rethink if they should continue on with the relationship.

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I love you Deanna, you make every day a better day.

If we descended from monkeys and apes, why are there still monkeys and apes?

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RE: Excuse vs Explanation - 6/17/2008 12:32:43 PM   
chamberqueen


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One of the most difficult things I ever learned was to say, "I'm sorry.  I screwed up," and leave it at that.  I save the reasons why until the person asks.  We all have valid reasons for the things that we do or we wouldn't do them.  What seems valid at the time may seem really stupid in hindsight.

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