To find the expression "I would never..." irksome

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

Prompted by too many posts in too many threads to mention...

I'm not sure if I'm being childish or pedantic here, but short of "commit mass murder" or "become the despotic ruler of a totalitarian state" (and I'm not even convinced by those, if there was a gun held to my head or somesuch) there is nothing I can honestly say that I would never, ever do.

"I would never..." at best makes me think that the poster hasn't really thought a situation through, and at worst makes me suspect they're lacking in imagination and empathy.

Ditto, "My DH would never...". How do you know that? I very much doubt my DP would do all sorts of things - but I can't possibly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never do something that he is physically/mentally capable of.

Am I overthinking this? Or indeed underthinking it?

I would never try incest or morris dancing.

I can say this with certainty.

YABU. I would never criticise an expression used by others.

OK, well am a guilty of this myself having just done it on the expensive PIL meal thread, so of course YABU !

However, I do think it's overused, and especially as you say with regards to other people (even more so with regards to young children - your DC would never steal someone else's party bag, really? Have you tested in a number of situations? How do you really know what a 3yr old might do?).

I do think it's possible to say this about oneself though, in certain areas, but not in all. I said on the other thread that I would never expect other people to spend a lot of money on my birthday celebration, and I know this is true because I'm super weird/awkward about my birthday and always assume I'm not nice or popular enough for anyone to want to spend money on a night out with me (they always have done so far though!).

But there are lots of things I couldn't say I would never about. I would never drive past an injured person at the side of the road. Well I would like to think I wouldn't, but it might depend on whether I was rushing to my own DH's hospital bed, whether I was scared because my car was being followed by violent stalker etc. I supposed in those cases, 'I would never' means 'under normal circumstances, I would not'.

I think we're now both over-thinking it!

D

Oh, incest. No, I wouldn't knowingly or willingly try that. I could be persuaded to morris dance.

Serendippy, I don't really like criticising expressions other people use. Same as I don't like criticising other people's grammar. But I can't say never. Because if a poster gets all worked up about, say, a teacher's grammer then they're fair game

YANBU... I tend to be suspicious of anyone starting a sentence with 'Of course, I would never...' because IME, they are often guilty of doing exactly the thing they claim never to do.

On a par with 'Don't take this the wrong way but...' which always ends up as some jaw-droppingly offensive remark because you interpret it precisely the right way.

I would never have sex with a hamster. At least, not under normal circumstances. Am I over-thinking this?

Oh yes, wrt children it really irritates me.

I'm always amazed when people swear they're children would never do something. I only have one dc to use as an example, but one thing I've learnt over the past decade is that children have a knack of surprising you.

I think you're right though Delia. I need to menatlly insert "under normal circumstances" after every instance of "I would never" I hear

Ohhhhh, "Don't get me the wrong way".

Likewise, "With all due respect".

No, I would never have sex with a hamster. Under normal circumstances

they're children? Good grief. I also typed "hampster". Fortunately I previewed that post.

what irks me is people who say 'oh i never' .....wear makeup/iron clothes, and then follow on with 'only on special occassions'

um so that means you do then?