While talking on the phone with an electrician friend, I caught myself carping about some confusing mandates found within the 2020 National Electrical Code. “Oh, jeez,” I said, “I’m starting to sound just like an electrician – I’m complaining about everything.”
“Are
you making complaints or statements?” he asked.
I
thought for a moment, scratching at my head.
“Hmm. Never thought about
it. That’s a fine line.”
“My
family has been giving me a hard time about complaining recently. I am trying to convince them I am only making
statements and not complaining.”
“You
may have a point,” I said. “But I’m not
sure I know where I begin separating the two.”
Following
our conversation, I thought about just one common phrase expressed by
electricians after reading a section of Code: “This doesn’t make any sense.”
Is that
a complaint or a statement? Written on
paper, it could fall either way – especially if the Code really doesn’t make
sense at first reading.
In
the end, the determination seems dependent on the tone of the speaker and the perceptions
of the listener. The difference is
situational.
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