Is nothing sacred?
A friend of mine sent me a message after reading about the lady at the bank and asked me if I would write about the two most annoying questions she and her sister get asked all the time. They run cattle together and maybe it's that people are in awe of the fact that they are "girls," but I tend to think that people just don't know any better anymore. Husbeast and I have had the same type of question from people, so I told her I'd be happy to. This one is short and sweet. Share it with anyone who might not know any better and especially with those who should :)
Is nothing sacred anymore?
In this day and age when you can log in to any social media outlet and see what a person is up to (good, bad, too much information or messages that imply something is wrong, but they leave you in suspense) it seems that we have lost our sense of propriety. Some of it is self-induced. For those who post EVERYTHING that is going on in their lives, it’s evident that nothing is sacred anymore. There are still some of us out there, who don’t feel that all the details should be shared.
You know you aren’t supposed to ask a woman about her age, weight, or if she’s pregnant. I’m not sure what it is that guys hold as offensive, but I’m sure there is something? Maybe you shouldn’t ask them if they used to have a lot of hair? I don’t know.
Anyway, the one that comes up for ranching/farming people is one that I grew up knowing was sort of “code of the West.” You are not supposed to ask these questions:
“How many cows do you have?”
“How many acres do you have?”
To people who aren’t familiar with ranching, I’d like to offer a bit of advice. Do NOT ask these questions. The only people who should get to know this kind of stuff are
Friends/colleagues who are in the same business or a related business and are chatting with you about the best way to manage, grow, improve, etc.
The banker who holds the note on said cattle or acreage or both.
The accountant.
A spouse or significant other who should already know this stuff anyway.
Family. Maybe. Depends entirely on their intent in asking.
Random people or people who we’ve just met, don’t get to know this stuff. Why?
“What’s the big deal?” you ask…
Well, it happens to be the same as me asking you “How much money do you have in your bank account, retirement account and savings?”
It would make you take a step back if I asked that question wouldn’t it? Those questions are right up there with “what is your religion?” and “how do you vote?”
I grew up knowing that finances, politics and religion of others was none of my dang business and I still treat those things the same way. You don’t ask those questions. Ever.
But if it’s killing you and you still want to know, the answer to the “how much/many….” question is:
Almost enough. :)
