There are two particular contexts in which this line tends to occur that I’m going to rant about. Firstly, I find that this utterance is often said quite defensively, in response to some implicit recommendation, e.g. “You should try this game, it’s ace.” Alternatively, it might be stated in response to the conversation partner’s describing recent events in their life (so, would presumably be followed by “... to do that sort of thing.”).
The Verdict (in both cases): BULLSHIT.
Let’s start with Number One. People always seem to respond with such offense following some recommendation or other. I’m taking a stab in the dark here, but presumably individuals seeking out joyous past times for themselves is often seen as some sort of achievement – if they take up said past time from somebody else’s recommendation, this achievement is lost. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how ludicrous this assumption is, but I cannot help but think that it’s true. Obviously, recommendations must be taken up from time-to-time, or the term “word of mouth” would not exist. All the same, the immediate response is to spout complete and utter cow dung; namely, “I don’t really have the time.” Now let’s stop and examine this one for a second. Yes, we all lead very busy lives, I’m sure. But say I were to recommend a book, or a game, or a certain film currently being aired at the cinema, in receiving said response one is implying that whatever I’ve suggested requires some long-term commitment whereby they would have to make time in their “busy” schedule. What’s more likely? They genuinely have no time at all throughout the rest of their lives to read a book, they can’t be bothered, or Johnny Recommendation is damaging their ego? Probably the latter, or in some cases, the second option.
Number Two occurs under different circumstances, but the underlying mechanism, I feel, is the same. Let’s look at an example:
A: “Yeah, it was a right laugh. Everyone was so drunk, and we stayed in the club till 4 am. I ended up pulling Jim, and everyone thought it was so funny. And yeah, on the way back we stopped at the chippy... there were so many of us that it took an hour for them to serve our food, so we had a massive food fight while we were waiting. Then eventually at 7 am... it took a while to walk back as Sarah kept sitting on the floor and refusing to walk 'cos her feet hurt, and I was still pulling Jim... We all finally got back to Jane’s house, and Spuggy put on Top Gun while we all got stoned!”
B: “Cool. Did you have a hangover?”
A: “Thing is, I was still drunk when we got in, and most of us were still awake until about 3 pm, so it sort of wore off after a few cups of coffee. Harriett was really ill though, she was throwing up for like an hour straight!”
B: “Yeah. I just don’t have the time to get drunk anymore.”
Much as A’s boastful antics clearly deserve a punch in the face here, nevertheless it sounded like a most joyous occasion. Presumably because A is boasting so much, B gets ever less impressed and ever more defensive – B hasn’t had a good night out for a while, so decides to turn to the bullshit instead.
It’s this overly competitive nature in human conversation that I cannot physically stand. It’s never enough to accept that someone else had fun where you didn’t, and the favourite weapon of choice is a big dollop of BS.
