"A Few Observations and Comments on the Use and Misuse of the Words Nice and Like," by Andrew J. Schatkin

"A Few Observations and Comments on the Use and Misuse of the Words Nice and Like," by Andrew J. Schatkin

Ladies and Gentleman and my dear readers: Let me talk about the use if not misuse and abuse and misunderstanding in our society of the words nice and like. These words are much used and bandied about and I posit and think they are incorrectly and wrongly used and serve in their use to mislead if not fool their users and listeners. The word nice is frequently used to say that person is a nice person. It could be used in reference to a politician or office holder; and in fact, it may be used to describe anyone such as a car salesmen who is described as nice. In both instances what is being referred to and described is nothing more than that person is pleasing, pleasant and polite. The word does not describe any personal or moral qualities such as the qualifications for office of the office holder or the character which is unknown of either. Hence the use of the word nice to describe anyone at all is quite meaningless and not helpful since none of these people so described and known or understood as persons at all or in the least would not be surprised if Hitler may have been nice; or Mao; or Pol Pot. Niceness is a surface quality that may please and work effectively and can be assumed at will and very likely may serve to fool us about that person. The issues of a person are character and moral uprightness and honesty and integrity which take some time to grasp if those qualities are present at all. To be nice is a surface quality assumed at will and I have to say leads us none us anywhere about anyone and really tells me nothing about that person other than they are for us polite and pleasing. We know nothing of their treatment of others but are in a sense making a conclusion about that person and their momentary treatment of ourselves and nothing more hardly a basis for any sort of thought processes.

I now want to talk in the same way about the word like. Many people say they like someone for essentially surface reasons such as that person's looks, how they dress, and how they speak. Liking is akin to a judgment on the basis of emotion and some sort of personal chemistry. It is a judgment I think based on feelings and emotions which are not only extremely inaccurate but largely can serve to fool and mislead. I once knew a person who said she liked two persons who were here illegally who cleaned her house. The reality they were in violation of the law and manipulating and using our system of law and had not business being here at all and had no right to be here at all. There was no reason to like these women at all given what they were about and doing, simply using our medical system; employment system; and, if they had children, our educational system. There was no reason for liking and the liking involved was based on some sort of gut feeling. Liking is no more than a temporary based feeling and emotion and is no basis for what again what is really important character, and integrity and moral conduct and behavior.

In short, nice and like, I am afraid to say, mean nothing and if they have any sort of meaning are connected with that person's emotions and feelings which reveals no truth in their usage and the judgment of any connected with their use about another person we in fact often know nothing about. Our society and current thinking are most on the surface the discussion in this essay are some examples of the lack of critical thinking which is a disease and infection and is destroying any intellectual basis and interchange in our system of thought which for many people is nothing more than rampant embedded capitalism money, wealth, my next car, and my next phone, and my next vacation. This thinking, if it can be called thinking, leads nowhere and is a recipe social disaster as we see in our very lonely children who for attention and love resort to school shootings. As C. S. Lewis wrote, We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.