I'm Just Writing a Story on the Computer
By ice rivers
- 983 reads
On balance, I'm not a fan of the word "just".
"Just" as an adjective is fine and in the case of this sentence, it is fine as a noun.
"Just" as an adverb is a walking red flag.
I hate it when I say or someone says to me "just relax" or "just have fun".
I realize when I'm in a tense situation that I should relax.
In a tense situation it's difficult to relax.
Nothing "just" about it.
If I'm not having fun, I can't "just" say this is fun. Not having fun is not fun.
Just or not.
I very rarely suffer from writers block but if/when I do, I'm not gonna tell myself to "just write" or "just relax" or "just have fun".
On a more sinister level..." I was just whatever" is often a sign that the person who "was just" is a person who is often accused and in all probability abused regularly with false accusation.
"I was just" becomes a reflex mechanism for the shock of abuse.
Abuse is almost always a shock.
A shock is more demoralizing than a surprise.
Abusers are not abusive one hundred percent of the time. So, when out of nowhere an abuser asks "where in hell were you" the usual shocked response is a variation of "I was just".
I was just in the bathroom.
I was just taking a walk.
I was just on the computer etc.
ad nauseam.
So how often are you shocked?
Who's doing the shocking?
Can you just please effing relax.
I'll tell you who seems to be shocking America every day.
Our President.
I was just watching CNN.
I was just getting over the last outrage.
I was just thinking that maybe this is gonna calm down.
I was just starting to relax.
Then, another shock.
Oh well, it's just another shock.
We can just deal with it.
It can't be abuse or false accusation.
This America.
This is just us.
This is justice
This is just.
I'm just sayn'.
We'll just adjust.
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Comments
Just great. So much to be
Just great. So much to be said around one apparently little word. We're in no position to talk, over here in the UK, but I do hope the US won't adjust too much. I hope you'll keep on being shocked.
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