A Phrase I Hate

My second prompt for this first week in March is to share a phrase that I hate.

Mindy Kaling really says this best in her book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me"

“I don’t think it should be socially acceptable for people to say they are 'bad with names.' No one is bad with names. That is not a real thing. Not knowing people’s names isn’t a neurological condition; it’s a choice. You choose not to make learning people’s names a priority. It’s like saying, 'Hey, a disclaimer about me: I’m rude.'”

I 100% agree. So I used to be one of those people who was actually good with names, but when you meet someone in college for the second time after six months you can't just go, "Hi Sarah!" because of course you sound like a total creeper to the average twenty-year-old. What you're really expected to say is this bit where you're like "Have we met? You're Joe's friend right? What was your name again? Clara something?"

But after I read Mindy's book I was relieved to find someone else who felt the same way. Someone else who is probably expected to actually remember a lot of names. So if she can feel this way then I can too, and I can try and change the norm regardless of how people treat my name. So now I unapologetically remember people's names. Not to be creepy. But actually because I have a decent memory, and I care about people and their right to have their name remembered.