When did it become popular for everyone to send an email saying \u201cgentle reminder\u201d or \u201cfriendly reminder\u201d? When did the American workplace become infected with this institutionalized passive-aggression? Because that\u2019s the only way to read it, right? \u201cGentle Reminder\u201d to a normal person means \u201cWhat the fuck, Charlie? The whole team has fucking finished their part of the project and we\u2019ve sat around all week waiting for you to do that tiny little fucking stupid thing you have to do \u2013 honestly, Chuck the Fuck, it\u2019ll only take you ten minutes \u2013 so what\u2019s going on you fucking stupid cunt?\u201d
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\u201cGentle reminders,\u201d at my job, have recently morphed into \u201cfriendly reminders,\u201d which is even worse, in my eyes. I lapse into the South Park<\/em> gag \u2013 I\u2019m not your friend, buddy!<\/p>\n What\u2019s wrong with just saying \u201cReminder\u201d?<\/p>\n I complained about this to my boss \u2013 we work in an editorial department at a publishing house, so I can usually expect people to understand my complaints about incorrect usage \u2013 and she said that the idea of saying \u201cgentle\u201d was to \u201cremove the intrusiveness naturally inherent in sending reminder emails of that sort.\u201d<\/p>\n I \u2013 uh \u2013 whuuut?? <\/p>\n Putting \u201cGentle\u201d in there implies, quite simply and clearly, that you had better do the shit right fucking now or else you and your family will be shipped off to a death camp in the dark of night. You\u2019ll be a fucking name on a wall\u2026if you\u2019re lucky.<\/p>\n That\u2019s, of course, the point. Because if you just say \u201cReminder: Projects are due on Thursday\u201d the normal human reaction is to go: \u201cHaw, haw, motherfucker. You can take Thursday and you can try to fit it all in your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n So I guess I understand the concept. I just feel like it\u2019s overused. You should reserve the \u201cgentle\u201d and \u201cfriendly\u201d reminders for when you really need them. Like: Reminder. (haw-haw) REMINDER! (Yeah, yeah.) Gentle Reminder. (Oh shit!)<\/p>\n See the power you\u2019d have there? If only you wage slave salary serf morons could practice even a modicum of social restraint you could turn your idiot companies into well-greased wheels of industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When did it become popular for everyone to send an email saying \u201cgentle reminder\u201d or \u201cfriendly reminder\u201d? When did the American workplace become infected with this institutionalized passive-aggression? Because that\u2019s the only way to read it, right? \u201cGentle Reminder\u201d to …<\/p>\n