Context is everything (although, as noted by Silus, any sorry expressed should be genuine)...
Good: Jake: "Ugh. I shouldn't have had that fourth burrito. My stomach hurts." Jill: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Still Okay: Bob: "I hate Joe. He's such a prick." Joe's Brother: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Not So Good: Sally: "I'm happier now that I've accepted my orientation and left the church" Peter: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
[Of course, Peter could mean "I'm sorry that your experience in the church made it difficult for you to be happy", in which case he might be a bit more careful in how he expresses his sorrow].
8 comments:
Captain, I'm sorry that people feel that way! I'm sorry they feel that that is an appropriate answer at all. On the other-hand, it is guy fawkes day.
Amen!
“I’m sorry you feel that way” is a perfectly valid response — so long as they’re really sorry, and not just trying to end a conversation.
Context is everything (although, as noted by Silus, any sorry expressed should be genuine)...
Good:
Jake: "Ugh. I shouldn't have had that fourth burrito. My stomach hurts."
Jill: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Still Okay:
Bob: "I hate Joe. He's such a prick."
Joe's Brother: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
Not So Good:
Sally: "I'm happier now that I've accepted my orientation and left the church"
Peter: "I'm sorry you feel that way."
[Of course, Peter could mean "I'm sorry that your experience in the church made it difficult for you to be happy", in which case he might be a bit more careful in how he expresses his sorrow].
Oops... I intended to say "any sorrow expressed should be genuine"... though I suppose the way I wrote it works, too.
Scott, that is brilliant :) And that is exactly what I meant by "I'm sorry you feel that way" being a bad phrase.
Can we throw out "gay lifestyle" and "hate the sin, love the sinner" while we're at it?
I second this.
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