So, there’s this “debate” going on about saying ‘I love you’ on a YouTube video I watched recently. Lots of people are complaining about how, in America, it’s become an overused phrase “similar to a greeting” and has lost all it’s meaning. There’s also a lot of praise for how other countries \u201cdo it better\u201d >.> of course there is, “Americans think they’re so~ great…” right?<\/p>\n
Anyways, as someone who does say it rather often, I shared my thoughts: <\/p>\n
I’m constantly saying \u2018I love you\u2019 to those I love (AND doing actions to express that) because I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to do so. Having lost people in the past, both expectedly and unexpectedly, it’s important to me that those I care about know how I feel. Even if they’re all “yeah, I know”, they understand that it’s important to me to express that. Most people around the globe understand the whole ‘actions speak louder than words’ thing, but that doesn’t make saying it directly meaningless in any way. In America, I actually say it WAY more than anyone around me, and that’s NOT including what I discussed above. The only real times I hear people around me say it are when 1) they are in a relationship (mostly when they first fall in love and\/or when the relationship gets serious) and 2) when something major happens and they feel the need to. I would say it’s pretty uncommon in my area (Michigan) to hear people say it; like, whenever my family or my boyfriend called me, they would just say bye if I didn’t say it. And, I never hear my friends saying it to their family and such. I have a feeling a lot of this has to do with much of America being stuck in a romanticism delusion and that being portrayed through our media.\ufeff<\/p>\n
Also, it hasn’t lost it’s meaning at all, just that it’s gained various levels of meaning that one (in a way) has to be American to understand. Like it or not, Americans decided not to make different words for different feelings and instead decided that it’s all love, just at different levels. This, however, does not lessen the meaning of when someone says ‘I love you’ to express love to a significant other. In America, you have to look at the context, the whole, rather than focusing on exactly what was said.\ufeff<\/p>\n
And, on the whole \u2018actions speak louder than words\u2019 thing… I never quite got that. I mean, I get it, but I don\u2019t… does that make sense? >.<;; Men are said to be \u2018a man of their word\u2019 and we\u2019re supposed to \u2018take people at their word\u2019, but... apparently that only goes so far. Rather, I think that BOTH of these things are required - neither is more important that the other. You need to be able to trust someone\u2019s actions AND their words. Also, at least in American culture, things are supposed to be equally these days - meaning that a guy doing the dishes or taking out the trash isn\u2019t a sign of love like it may have been way back when. That kind of stuff is just expected these days. So, what then? If someone takes you out to dinner or buys you a gift? ...we\u2019re all materialistic now, is that it? Maybe when they hug you or hold your hand? But, to me, that is way more common than saying I love you. They\u2019ll stand by you through whatever? Ok sure, but so will you\u2019re friends (if they actually care about you), and still some people are saying that \u2018I love you\u2019 should only be used with significant others. ...basically, it\u2019s complicated, and I think people are trying to make it even more so.\n\nWe don\u2019t need one huge, mighty, all powerful word OR action that showcases the almighty emotion that is \u2018love\u2019. I think people are trying to make this so convoluted because \u201cwe\u2019re all special snowflakes\u201d and we all want to feel more and more special, like \u201cno one else feels the way I feel\u201d - \u201cthat\u2019s not love, stop calling it that!\u201d Love is completely subjective to every single individual and your thoughts on the matter are meaningless to someone else, so lets just let people express love however they want to ok? (with respect to the person receiving said love, of course!)\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, there’s this “debate” going on about saying ‘I love you’ on a YouTube video I watched recently. Lots of people are complaining about how, in America, it’s become an overused phrase “similar to a greeting” and has lost all … Continue reading