Never Wrong?

"You remember making fun of subtitles in movies and shows? The one where you were joking about 'Eerie music' etc?"

"Of course I do," I said. More than resenting the slur on my memory, I was thrilled that someone read and remembered any of my blogposts.

"Did it cross your mind that those subtitles were not idiotic? That they were meant for the aurally challenged to know what was going on?"

Uhoh! I should have known. People only remembered anything I did in order to criticize me.

"Yeah, really? I mean exactly what use would it be to them?"

"You just cannot admit it when you are wrong, can you?"

This was priceless! When was the last time this chap had ever admitted that he was wrong? When anyone in your vicinity had ever done it? I mean, really, it is something that everybody says that one should do but nobody ever really does. And I am to blame because I am just like everyone else?

See, if you are in the wrong and challenged by someone in authority and have no wiggle room; like your boss, like the traffic cop who caught you speeding, like...you get the gist; THEN you admit that you are wrong. And ONLY then. Otherwise...in mere social circumstances while waxing lyrical on your views about the world...I mean, like, do people really exist who admit they are wrong?

Of course there are people who get caught on the wrong foot. But, when they do, nobody ever really says they are wrong in so many words, do they?

Let's not even talk about the teens' favorite reply when wrong-footed: "Whatever". The more 'adult' responses also come nowhere close to admitting error.

You have the chaps who will swiftly change the subject. The 'Let's change the subject, no point in friends fighting each other on such trivial things' lot. So, they'll switch from whether India need a Sengol to why Ashwin was dropped...and set off a different fire.

You have the chaps who will remember an important appointment. "OH! I have no time to waste on these fruitless arguments. I need to be in an urgent meeting within fifteen minutes" gang.

Then you have the varieties of people who will start talking about your personality instead of the subject at hand.

"Ah! You always have to have the last word."

"As though you never made a mistake. Remember the time..." THIS is probably the closest you'll get to a tacit admission of error.

"You people always take this tack." And that 'you people' is the diplomatic version of 'Sanghi', 'Fascist', 'Libtard', whatever.

Among all this variety, you'll hardly ever find someone who'll outright admit in so many words that he was wrong. If you find one, quickly cart him to a Zoo; he is an endangered species.

Because, in this world of 'If you do not agree with me, you are against me' AND 'Anything does not support my point of view is from WhatsApp University', everybody is never wrong. He's only talking to the wrong people.

Echo chambers zindabad!