There's something that I can't quite figure out. And I don't like not being able to figure something out. This is the situation. This is of course an analogy and a simplification of the facts.
Miss Red always wears red clothes to work. She drives a red car, the upholstery and stuffed toys in her car are all red, her coffee mug is red, her pencil case is red, her mouse pad and mouse are red, her backpack is red; in short, almost everything she owns is red. She has outwardly shown her dislike towards other colours on numerous occasions - black is too bleak, yellow is too cheerful, pink is too girlish, etc.
One day we are all asked what our favourite colours are. Miss Red announces that her favourite colour is green.
Green! This of course catches me by surprise. Almost cheated even. When I asked her about all her things being red, she says it's just a coincidence. She didn't mean to buy red things, but somehow all her things ended up being red. In fact, she doesn't even like the colour red.
My point of view:
(i) At best, she unknowingly created the impression that she liked the colour red.
(ii) At worst, she deliberately created the impression that she liked the colour red.
Miss Red's point of view:
(i) She never told me she liked the colour red. (This is true.)
(ii) It's my fault for assuming that she liked the colour red.
I can't decide whether it's my fault or not. I know it's wrong to assume. But in this situation I genuinely believe that any reasonable person would come to the same conclusion as I did - that Miss Red's favourite colour is red.
I'm trying hard to give Miss Red the benefit of the doubt. This must be one of those 'grey' areas that my friend Reuben keeps harping on about. I don't like grey. I like black and white.
This situation is making me see red. No, wait. Grey.
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