[lit-ideas] Re: Yost's offer


On Mar 30, 2008, at 12:01 PM, David Ritchie wrote:

Later I'll work out what I wanted to say...which wasn't actually much.
I was wondering if people have interesting things to say about how one offers to buy someone a drink and what the meanings of such offers are. When I was at a conference a while back, I reached my alcohol limit before another fellow from Scotland did. He had bought the last round and so I offered to stand him a drink, but I said I'd had enough and was thinking of hie'ing me off to bed. He was insulted, and on reflection I can see why. What my gesture said to him was, "You keep drinking alone, I'm off to the moral high ground." The polite move would have been to order a round and just have a glass of water or a soft drink myself, or just wound up the conversation.
I was wondering how the wealthy fellow understood the offer. Your dialog makes it clear. 

David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregon ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
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