English Language & Usage Asked on June 30, 2021
I’m looking for a word to use in a self-deprecating context meaning ‘overly sensitive or precious’.
I ordinarily might say:
I’m going to sound like a princess here
or
I’m going to be a snowflake here
But both of these terms of politically problematic – princess because it’s gendered and sounds demeaning to women, and snowflake because it’s a common alt-right insult.
Is there an alternative word I can use that isn’t so problematic?
How about prima donna?
If you describe someone as a prima donna, you disapprove of them because they think they can behave badly or get what they want because they have a particular talent. [disapproval]
Nobody who comes to this club is allowed to behave like a prima donna.
...prima donna behaviour
[Collins]
Answered by user405662 on June 30, 2021
If you’re looking for a phrase to prepare your listeners, there are plenty of good suggestions from the commenters.
However, if your goal is to convince, why not start with “we” rather than “I” ?
For example, “Before we decide on this, let’s look at how people might feel. Take the psychological perspective, so to speak…”
With this approach, you unify yourself with your listeners, and you introduce the idea that the decision can be based on objective factors, i.e. it can be deduced from shared premises as opposed to being a test of individual wills.
This is a concept drawn from Getting to Yes, by Fisher, Ury and Patton. The book has been in print for forty years, and is still a bestseller.
Answered by Global Charm on June 30, 2021
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