Semantics: "Take it easy"

Need an opinion here.

I keep hearing teh locals say “take it easy.” I have to grin and bite
my tongue EVERY time I hear this. To me this phrase implies “you are
overreacting, you stupid f***.” I honestly think that they have no
idea that it is a condescending phrase, and quite possibly think it
means something like “it will be ok.” but it doesnt.

does anyone else hear this a lot? get the same meaning that i do? help! it really burns me up!

D

Travel Goddess wrote:

Not really. I tend to get “You think too much.” Taiwanese obviously think I’m a genuis! :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

It doesn’t really bother me if the locals uses words or phrases in the wrong context, I mean, after all, English is probably their second or third language. But what really gets me is that when I try to correct them, they would stubbornly refuse to believe me.

:fume:

[quote=“travelgoddess”]Need an opinion here.

I keep hearing teh locals say “take it easy.” I have to grin and bite
my tongue
EVERY time I hear this. To me this phrase implies “you are
overreacting, you stupid f***.” I honestly think that they have no
idea that it is a condescending phrase, and quite possibly think it
means something like “it will be ok.” but it doesnt.

does anyone else hear this a lot? get the same meaning that I do? help! it really burns me up!
D [/quote]

Here’s my opinion: you gotta take it easy.

ToeAdvises

IMO you’re overreacting. To me, “take it easy” isn’t condescending in the least.

I’ll take it any way I can get it.

[quote=“travelgoddess”]Need an opinion here.

I keep hearing teh locals say “take it easy.” I have to grin and bite
my tongue EVERY time I hear this. To me this phrase implies “you are
overreacting, you stupid f***.” I honestly think that they have no
idea that it is a condescending phrase, and quite possibly think it
means something like “it will be ok.” but it doesnt.

does anyone else hear this a lot? get the same meaning that I do? help! it really burns me up!

D[/quote]

In what context do they say it?

If they’re saying it as a goodbye, then I see nothing wrong with it, since it’s a very common parting expression in the US.

I believe the rest goes, “and if she’s easy, take her again.” I had some rather vulgar guy friends in college.

I don’t believe misused collocations are malicious personal attacks on your character. Be glad that they are aware of phrases like this and use it as a way to teach them about how to use it correctly. When the Taiwanese use lemons in their speech, teach them how to make lemonade (and set up a lemonade stand of privates while you’re at it). :wink:

When people say goodbye to each other it is not unheard of for them to say:

“Take it easy.”

Is this condescending? Of course not. It means something liek enjoy life at an easy pace. This may be what your Taiwanese friends are meaning.

Also, the Eagles sang “Take it easy” without implying any condescension. The line meant don’t let bad things get you down, go with the flow, etc.

Part of the problem living in a foreign country is we forget some of the nuances of our own vocabulary and phrases.

[quote]Also, the Eagles sang “Take it easy” without implying any condescension. The line meant don’t let bad things get you down, go with the flow, etc.

Part of the problem living in a foreign country is we forget some of the nuances of our own vocabulary and phrases.[/quote]
Unfortunately we never get the chance to forget ‘The Eagles’. There’s always some tosser wants to bring them up in conversation, or play bloody ‘Hotel California’ for you.

Thanks mate, that song will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Don’t take that as a personal attack. I was joking. relax. Take it easy.

It wasn’t being used in that context, Mucha Man. I know exactly what TravelGoddess is talking about. She’s not talking about a phrase used in saying goodbye, she’s talking about a phrase used to stifle expressions of dissatisfaction, which implies that those expressions are somehow not valid.

A similar thing happened in a class of mine a while ago. An adult student was talking about her father’s (unexpected) death three days earlier. She was brave at first and then broke down in tears. Another student kept saying Bu yao nan guo and Bu yao ku, which means “don’t be sad” and “don’t cry”. Good grief, if we can’t cry and be sad when a family member dies, when can we? I think that any displays of emotion make people here more uncomfortable than in western countries. I believe that expressions of emotion are healthy and shouldn’t be discouraged.

Maoman I think you are interpreting those phrases a bit too literally.

In the West, when someone is crying, invariably people would ask, “are you okay?”, now logic would dictate that this person is not okay, that’s why he or she is crying… but a lot of people ask that question anyway, it’s just something nice to say.

There isn’t any point in getting all burned up about it, the more burned up you get the more they’ll say “take it easy”.

I’m with the “Don’t sweat the small stuff” crowd on this one. You can choose to get pissed off all the time or just shrug your shoulders and worry about more important things. What else are you going to do?

Shouldn’t this be in the English teaching section? Or do you honestly not know what “take it easy” means? :loco:

It wasn’t being used in that context, Mucha Man. I know exactly what TravelGoddess is talking about. She’s not talking about a phrase used in saying goodbye, she’s talking about a phrase used to stifle expressions of dissatisfaction, which implies that those expressions are somehow not valid.

A similar thing happened in a class of mine a while ago. An adult student was talking about her father’s (unexpected) death three days earlier. She was brave at first and then broke down in tears. Another student kept saying Bu yao nan guo and Bu yao ku, which means “don’t be sad” and “don’t cry”. Good grief, if we can’t cry and be sad when a family member dies, when can we?[/quote]

Yes, Maoman, the context you are talking about is more apt than Mucha’s version. However, I’d like to repoint something out here:

These are your opinions. That’s fine. These may even be TG the OP’s sentiments… fine again. Hell, I may even think this way…great…that’s 3.

Now, let’s go change the way Asians’ think.

See what I mean?

To publically display overt emotion is to lose face.

FACE. (I feel like I may be :flog:)

More important than family, more important than money.

FACE.

Get some today.

This is how it is…you can discuss it in your classrooms or moan and groan about it with your friends and e-pals such as us…but no matter how strongly you believe that crying or being sad openly is a healthy response, you are not going to change Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand…hell, the middle east from a middle easterner’s perspective is about face.

We from the west just don’t get it. We think; how can face be so vital to one’s sense of self?

But to us, is not pride what forces us to move mountains of armor towards mohammeds the world over?

TG the OP, you’re friend was right in both senses of the expression. She was suggesting that you don’t let life’s bumps knock you too far off the path, and she was saying: You silly git, stop gushing face all over the floor and causing everyone around here to lose face, now I must put on a big smile and remind you to:

(everybody altogether now)

TAKE IT EASY!

ToeGurus

if “take it easy” means don’t let bad things bring you down, and it is said by the person who brought those bad things to you, that would be the moment to feel annoyed.

<<>>
that’s utter BS, man. Taiwanese display overt emotion all the time, that’s what makes them so childish and hopless shallow in my eyes.

To publically display overt emotion is to lose face.

that’s utter BS, man. Taiwanese display overt emotion all the time, that’s what makes them so childish and hoplessly shallow in my eyes.

[quote=“Toe Save”]To publically display overt emotion is to lose face.

FACE. (I feel like I may be :flog:)

More important than family, more important than money.

FACE.

Get some today.

This is how it is…you can discuss it in your classrooms or moan and groan about it with your friends and e-pals such as us…but no matter how strongly you believe that crying or being sad openly is a healthy response, you are not going to change Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand…hell, the middle east from a middle easterner’s perspective is about face.

We from the west just don’t get it. We think; how can face be so vital to one’s sense of self?[/quote]
You’re abosultely right - it’s about face. But given a choice between sincerity and face, I’ll go with sincerity every time. Just because I understand face, doesn’t mean I have to accept it as a legitimate way to posture oneself. I think that it’s ok to discriminate, to assess value, to critically compare and contrast ideas. I don’t believe in the inherent equality or vailidity of all ideas. Some things are better than others. Just because we understand what face is, doesn’t mean we have to always accept it as legitimate. If you’re in a culture that has what you feel are inappropriate standards, don’t feel that you have to be compromised by them.

Face, yes, very true.

Me, I hate bad service, and am not above commenting on it in public. Not too loudly, but my wife will see the displeasure on my face and instead of supporting my displeasure, she will be embarrassed. I wouldn’t yell, scream, or stamp my feet, but obviously the fact that someone may see my displeasure makes her uncomfortable. I need to understand this and adjust where possible, although I usually fail. I too will hear “take it easy”, which is difficult for me, but I try. I am beginning to learn that my showing my displeasure doesn’t change anything around me at all, all it does it eat away at me. So, who gets hurt the most? Me! That means that I should find a different way to make changes to my environment or myself because the western way just doesn’t work for me here.

The truth is, in their own unique way, they are really showing you the way of survival in Taiwan. You can either learn from it and live that way while you are here (you can drop it when you go home if you want to) OR you can let it eat away at you and rob you of your joy of living.