Don’t say You, Say We – It is Better for Everyone

Please, for everyone's sake, don't use the word “you” when you actually mean “I” or “me”.

Most people don’t realize they are doing this, and many who realize it believe there is nothing wrong with it.

I do understand that the meaning of the word “you” is implied in modern English and yet I still find it highly disturbing in many cases.

If you read my introductory article on this topic you will understand how we do this and why it is important to change this patter in our society.

Now I am introducing another alternative. The use of “we” instead of “you”.

“We” may or may not include “you” and serves as an invitation to become such projection, instead of being forced into it with a position we may not be comfortable assuming.

If you look back on how I have been using “we” in this very exact article, you may notice that I use “we” as an invitation and allow you to decide if you resonate with being included in that position in context.

There are other ways we can be more mindful with our speech. Notice the use of the word “may” in my previous sentence. I could have written “you WILL notice that…”, but then I would be imposing my forecast of the future into your reality.

Of course this is a very picky approach to writing and speaking and most people don’t care about this level of scrutiny. Perhaps many of these liberties are harmless to the overall result of our communication.

At the same time, it is likely that there are many subconscious consequences from this form of speech and I believe all of us would benefit from a more clear approach to communication.

Thank you

@BrunoTreves