I is for “Intimate Strangers”
- Oxymorons from A to Z
Blame it on the internet … or not. How can a person be both
a stranger and an intimate contact? Isn’t it intriguing how many people share
the deepest, most personal secrets of their lives with total strangers?
Sometimes these folks, who may never meet face to face, seem to know more about
one another than those who have shared childhoods or who live in the same
households.
We used to frown at folks who over-shared on long bus rides
and cross-country flights, telling others at first meeting all about their own
lives. Now we post photos of our parents, pets, and kids - for all of cyberspace to see.
That's right. We're intimate strangers. But is that right?
Maybe it feels somehow safer to unload private concerns and
reveal close-held confidences to those outside our in-person circles. But look
what we have created: intimate strangers,
an oxymoron for sure.
Are we talkin’ TMI?
Can ill-defined boundaries lead to insecurity, or even inappropriate
interference?
What’s an oxymoron?
Basically, an oxymoron is a
phrase that seems contradictory or incongruous. Taken literally, the words do
not make sense. Often, oxymorons find their way into popular usage, becoming
cultural catchwords or frequently used idioms.
Many of these curious wordings
strike us as delightfully amiss. Besides, what sort of whimsical word is
“oxymoron”?
Delightfully Amiss:
Berzerkians Gone Amok … and Finding the Funk in Dysfunction is participating in
the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. That means you can find a new post every
day (except Sundays, because those are the event rules) throughout the month of
April. Be sure to bookmark, follow, or subscribe! And please leave a comment,
especially if you’re playing along with the A to Z Challenge.
Image/s:
Airplane Snoozers by caribb
PhotoPin
Oxymorons from A to Z
Created by this user
On CoolText
Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. You are also
invited to join this writer's fan
page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian
Examiner and Madison
Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.
So true about intimate strangers online. Sometimes I think my FB friends know me better than my own family. I love oxymorons and what a fun word it is, too!
ReplyDeleteCattitude and Gratitude
I love oxymorons! I have two in my house at the moment (Straight-eared Scottish Folds)
ReplyDeleteAnd true, too, how we can bear our soul on the 'net to strangers we'll never meet...but I think some really become friends, despite that fact. :)
Jai
this was really interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteanother good one!
ReplyDelete