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Here's How To Be Exceptionally Likable (Original Post) kentauros May 2015 OP
I was all in until Sedona May 2015 #1
Maybe that's the "twisted DU punchline" kentauros May 2015 #3
That one should be completely rephrased. silverweb May 2015 #10
As opposed to having them come to tied up in the trunk of your car? Spitfire of ATJ May 2015 #17
Exactly! silverweb May 2015 #24
eye of the hurricane I see :) steve2470 May 2015 #2
Well, it's Saturday. kentauros May 2015 #4
well, that was my sugar overload for the day. niyad May 2015 #5
Happy to be of service! kentauros May 2015 #6
Well, all of those work, if being likable is an important goal. MineralMan May 2015 #7
adress everyone you don't know as olddots May 2015 #8
Don't fart in the elevator. JEB May 2015 #9
Let's practice shall we... luvspeas May 2015 #11
Flame bait! rug May 2015 #12
At least it's not click-bait! kentauros May 2015 #21
There are 14. But if you do the first 13, you won't have any flaws! Buns_of_Fire May 2015 #13
I like all those ideas in general. Sienna86 May 2015 #14
I am that person Freelancer May 2015 #15
Yeah, but what happened to the sex? rug May 2015 #23
what does the phrase "cantaloupe heated in a microwave" suggest to you? MisterP May 2015 #26
trumad. rug May 2015 #27
oh, I'm telling on that one MisterP May 2015 #32
What? That wasn't a psychological test? rug May 2015 #40
Still working on that Freelancer May 2015 #51
Great post! And welcome to DU! patricia92243 May 2015 #60
I was expecting the last panel to read: "Be a rich white man." tclambert May 2015 #16
Why? (nt) Nye Bevan May 2015 #54
Now apply all of these to the job of a Mafia Hit Man and it's actually funny. Spitfire of ATJ May 2015 #18
Ha!.... paleotn May 2015 #19
Everyone's a critic! lovemydog May 2015 #20
Keep it up, "troll", and you'll get your pizza! kentauros May 2015 #22
For anyone reading, lovemydog May 2015 #29
I also put "that word" in quotes, kentauros May 2015 #39
ask and ye shall receive steve2470 May 2015 #43
'Here Lies A Disruptor lovemydog May 2015 #44
That's it! kentauros May 2015 #55
this reminds me of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" steve2470 May 2015 #25
My parents sent me to one of their programs, kentauros May 2015 #58
i am less likable of late. hrmjustin May 2015 #28
you ? steve2470 May 2015 #30
Unfortunately the responses to me show it to be true. hrmjustin May 2015 #33
Nice. I think you covered about six traits lovemydog May 2015 #35
just lil ol' me :) nt steve2470 May 2015 #37
You seem cool to me. lovemydog May 2015 #31
Likewise but I feel i have pissed a few off lately. hrmjustin May 2015 #34
Nah. Then turn to the default: lovemydog May 2015 #36
lol. thanks. hrmjustin May 2015 #41
unfortunately, until DNC convention 2016 and probably for a bit afterwards.... steve2470 May 2015 #38
All good people on both sides. hrmjustin May 2015 #42
Agree. Many. lovemydog May 2015 #45
Welll said my friend! hrmjustin May 2015 #46
Thanks my friend! lovemydog May 2015 #47
Thanks for the invite. hrmjustin May 2015 #48
It's all that damn Alliteration. Warren DeMontague May 2015 #52
. hrmjustin May 2015 #53
Kentauros, look at what you started here in GD. lovemydog May 2015 #49
Thank you! kentauros May 2015 #56
Oh man, all my plans for the next hour just went out the window. Warren DeMontague May 2015 #50
I can only imagine... kentauros May 2015 #57
Haha! lovemydog May 2015 #59
Here's a better idea: F4lconF16 May 2015 #61

silverweb

(16,402 posts)
10. That one should be completely rephrased.
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:45 PM
May 2015

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Maybe something like, "Accept constructive criticism gracefully." Then it would be useful without asking for trouble.

niyad

(113,302 posts)
5. well, that was my sugar overload for the day.
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:32 PM
May 2015

amazingly enough, there are some people who just are not worth being likable to, and therefore, we do not waste our efforts on them.

apparently, having a good mind, and sound reasoning powers are not on the list.

MineralMan

(146,308 posts)
7. Well, all of those work, if being likable is an important goal.
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:39 PM
May 2015

If not, you can ignore any or all of them.

 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
8. adress everyone you don't know as
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:41 PM
May 2015

Yo Turd Maggot ! ask all your friends " hey whats your problem weasle breath ? "

And remember success comes in cans instead of can nots .

luvspeas

(1,883 posts)
11. Let's practice shall we...
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:50 PM
May 2015

Think of how George W. Bush and his cronies "changed" our country. Now if we apply these rules we will be well liked. The country will still be mired in his shit, but we will be liked.

No thank you. I'd much rather be hated by certain people.

Buns_of_Fire

(17,175 posts)
13. There are 14. But if you do the first 13, you won't have any flaws!
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:54 PM
May 2015

I would replace the last one with "Take a shower at least once every other month."

It reminded me a little of the "Goofus and Gallant" comic strip in My Weekly Reader back in grade school. You know, the one where Gallant would always help the little old lady cross the street, but Goofus would always trip her and steal her groceries? Just for contrast, I'd like to hear Goofus' point of view on this.

Sienna86

(2,149 posts)
14. I like all those ideas in general.
Sat May 9, 2015, 07:57 PM
May 2015

One can't be perfect all the time. And I think the last point is valid. I think it's a great idea to turn to someone we trust to be honest and ask, "what can I do better?"

Freelancer

(2,107 posts)
15. I am that person
Sat May 9, 2015, 08:35 PM
May 2015

All those traits describe me to a T -- at least they used to. After years of the endless adulation, the money, the job offers, and the sex -- don't get me started on the sex -- it just got so exhausting being perfect that I couldn't go on. Luckily, I found a treatment program, and can prowdly say that I've held the same dead-end job for 13 years now. Most days, women completely ignore me, and the parties seem like a barely remembered dream.

I'd go on, but my tears of joy might short out my keyboard.

lovemydog

(11,833 posts)
20. Everyone's a critic!
Sat May 9, 2015, 09:50 PM
May 2015

Can you make the image bigger? Can you make it smaller? How does this relate to all the things that I want to say? Why can't we have free pizza? Are you anti-pizza? How the fuck can you hate pizza?

lovemydog

(11,833 posts)
29. For anyone reading,
Sat May 9, 2015, 10:47 PM
May 2015

the word pizza is used here for when a troll gets banned. It's known as being tombstoned. I assume in the early days here some witty person said 'Tombstone Pizza' and that's where it started. I like nerd history.

kentauros

(29,414 posts)
39. I also put "that word" in quotes,
Sat May 9, 2015, 10:58 PM
May 2015

in case there were any alert-happy types lurking.

Now, if only one of us had the old tombstone image DU2 used to post when the disruptor was given their pizza...

lovemydog

(11,833 posts)
44. 'Here Lies A Disruptor
Sat May 9, 2015, 11:08 PM
May 2015

He Disrupted Poorly.'

Whoever thought of that kudos. Never fails to make me laugh.

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
25. this reminds me of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People"
Sat May 9, 2015, 10:39 PM
May 2015

I tried it out as a young lad, don't ask, very long story. Mr. Carnegie was obviously a product of his age, not the cynical 1970's.

kentauros

(29,414 posts)
58. My parents sent me to one of their programs,
Sun May 10, 2015, 12:53 AM
May 2015

because I was a "difficult teen" (dinner-table discussions usually turned into arguments.) They thought the program failed, but I did learn plenty from it. I simply didn't apply what I learned at home, which is what they were hoping. Or, what little I did apply there, they either didn't notice, or didn't think it was enough.

That was in 1979 or 1980, can't remember exactly, just that it was a little after graduating from high school. And yes, I do see many similarities in this graphic with what Carnegie taught

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
38. unfortunately, until DNC convention 2016 and probably for a bit afterwards....
Sat May 9, 2015, 10:57 PM
May 2015

who you choose as your candidate will not please some. I've never seen you get uncivil. I understand the enthusiastic support for Mr. Sanders. I'm just not sure he can win the general election, but if he wins the Dem nomination, I'll enthusiastically support him. Same with Secretary Clinton. Same with whoever wins the nomination.

lovemydog

(11,833 posts)
45. Agree. Many.
Sat May 9, 2015, 11:12 PM
May 2015

I guess it's the old 'if you can keep your head about you while all around you people are losing theirs' thing. Or, your sense of humor. Too many exaggerations on all sides. But it's coming from a strong desire to move us forward. I read somewhere that politics is war without the bloodshed. Of course, you can also revert to 'it's just a friggin' message board.'

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
50. Oh man, all my plans for the next hour just went out the window.
Sat May 9, 2015, 11:24 PM
May 2015

Now I need to go mess around with this thing. BRB.

F4lconF16

(3,747 posts)
61. Here's a better idea:
Sun May 10, 2015, 06:24 PM
May 2015

Rule #1: Don't be a jerk. Try, for once in your pathetic, miserable existence, to care about a single being other than yourself.

It's amazing how easily things go from there. Much simpler, too.

Actually though, I do have issues with this. I think it's exceptionally stupid. Likeability is a terrible thing to aspire to. How about being a genuinely good person? Not everyone's gonna like you, but who cares? You're doing the right thing. Personally, I hope I piss those people off by doing the right thing. I hope they hate my guts for it. It's better than being liked by everyone, personally.

Here we go:

#1. A positive mental attitude only gets you so far. It's really pretty obnoxious at times. Better than positive mental attitude is simply being content with your existence and your self-defined purpose. Don't try to be happy--try to be happy with yourself. A subtle but critical difference. Constant happiness is draining for everyone involved--it's okay to be sad, or need a hug, or be angry. Accept those emotions within you and deal with them with the help and love of others if you can. Don't cover it up with BS optimism--the surest way I've ever seen to become depressed (which is, I admit, a total oversimplification and trivialisation of depression. I'm not talking clinical depression here).

#2. Um, no. Speak in a tone that gets your point across. If you shoot my grandmother, you're dang right I will yell and scream in all sorts of uncivilized manners. Tone is a valuable communication tool--don't mute yourself because you're scared about not being liked. Instead, use your tone to express yourself more clearly and effectively in a constructive manner.

#3. This one I don't have any issues with. Though I challenge anyone to go a day with a talkative toddler without eventually ignoring them--sometimes it's best for all involved. My girlfriend and I ignore each other all the time with pleasant results

#4. Back to #2. Why would you do that? Bottling your ability to express yourself is unhealthy, to say the least. Don't kill someone, but if you're mad, it's okay to show it. If you need to cry and need support, ask for it. Being willing to accept your own emotions will go a long ways towards helping others accept you. We are social creatures. Stay that way.

#5. Yep. Solid plan. But make sure you know when to run out of patience--my roommates weren't cleaning up after themselves, so after a few weeks I let them know. Too much patience would mean far too many dishes for me to do. Same goes for life. I'm only going to have patience with police reform when they're not killing black people. Guess what? My patience for reform is gone. Time to abolish the police, and now. I will demand it, and will not wait. Patience is a virtue only in the proper amounts.

#6. Absolutely. 100% agree, no qualifications. Though be critical of what information comes in--not a qualification to the previous, but a good thing to do nevertheless.

#7. Back to #1, #2, and #4. Smiles are nice, but not when that's not how you feel. People can tell an honest smile when they're talking to people, most of the time. You're not doing yourself or them any favors by lying about your thoughts. Distrust is a very dangerous thing to play with. Less like fire, more like nitroglycerin.

#8. Another good one, and probably my favorite on here. Funny how listening means you'll understand people better. Keeping my mouth shut and my empathy channels open has never gone wrong for me.

#9. Mehhhhhh. A good idea, but really, who does that?

#10. Eh. Good deeds aren't easily quantifiable or even noticeable. Some of the best things I've had people do for me were often totally unknown by the person who did them. Concentrate on making yourself a better person, and the "good deeds" will come with that. I don't like that approach, as it seems to suggest good deeds are somehow accomplishable. Life itself is full of opportunity to do good--focus on making the world a better place, not on individual acts. You'll wear yourself out, and you'll never feel you did enough.

#11. A good one. Though challenging at times, and some failures just suck, period. There isn't always a moral to the story. Sometimes it's just a shitty story that the author never finished properly. Life isn't an Aesop fable.

#12. Yes, but not in a creepy way. Maybe just let them know they are important by actively engaging with them. Don't be a creep--don't fetishize this rule.

#13. Yep. Remember that genuine praise can only come from a genuine act that needs or deserves praise. Don't give people genuine compliments who don't deserve them, as they're no longer genuine. Hitler had a handsome little stache, but you'll never hear me tell it to him. Probably 'cause he's dead. Also, that was a terrible moustache. He needed a new stylist in general. But seriously, only give compliments if you mean them, not to make yourself more likeable. Then you're making it about you, not the person deserving of praise.

#14. Ha. Definitely. And often, please. My girlfriend does an excellent job at this. Don't take offense--see #8. Just shut up and listen. Maybe they have a point.

#15. Don't take online guides to life too seriously. Life isn't that hard to understand, shitty as it might be in practice. Help others, help others to help you, and try and be a decent person, and you'll be alright. At least, it works for me. You might need a totally different style, and that's okay.

Enough discussion?

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