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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009Paying it forward
Paying it forward, in contrast to paying someone back, one does does a favor or gives money for someone else when it's not possible to do for whoever helped one. What do you all think about this phrase?  SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > Paying it forward, in contrast to paying someone back, one does does a > favor or gives money for someone else when it's not possible to do for > whoever helped one. > > What do you all think about this phrase? I think it's better than the explanation. :-) Peter > Paying it forward, in contrast to paying someone back, one does does a > favor or gives money for someone else when it's not possible to do for > whoever helped one. > > What do you all think about this phrase? I don't know what it says. Also, I think only stags do does. SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEWlamps for OLDlamps for email > Also, I think only stags do does. Yes, but only ewe can make this world seem right. SignatureBob http://www.kanyak.com > Paying it forward, in contrast to paying someone back, one does does a > favor or gives money for someone else when it's not possible to do for > whoever helped one. > > What do you all think about this phrase? When phrases come into use, they do not have to be explained. Generations later, they may. Without explanation (even one far clearer then yours) I would interpret "paying forward" to mean paying not only the payment due, but also the next one -- even though it is not due now. GFH >I would interpret "paying forward" to mean paying >not only the payment due, but also the next one -- >even though it is not due now. I don't think there's much risk of confusion between that and the transitive "pay *it* forward." The link to "pay it back" is clear enough. But the meaning does rub off in a somewhat crass way, to my ear. "Pay it forward" suggests to me that the person paying the favor forward is doing so with the expectation that he's paying ahead on some future obligation. I'll stick with "pass it on." ¬R / Darla: Leftovers aren't the mark of a man. \ www.bestweb.net/~notr Andrew Reid: Actually, they are, because that's how men's shirts button. >>I would interpret "paying forward" to mean paying >>not only the payment due, but also the next one -- [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >so with the expectation that he's paying ahead on some future obligation. >I'll stick with "pass it on."\ "Pay it forward" has a meaning completely different from "pass it on". Check the Wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida >>>I would interpret "paying forward" to mean paying >>>not only the payment due, but also the next one -- [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > "Pay it forward" has a meaning completely different from "pass it on". > Check the Wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward I've just checked it, but I really can't see much difference. If someone does you a favour and you say you'll pay them back, they might say, 'No, just pass it on'. (They might add 'that way it goes around the world', which I think some hood said in an old film.) In the article, Wikipedia calls it a philosophy :-) Peter >"Pay it forward" has a meaning completely different from "pass it on". >Check the Wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward OK, but what do you take "pass it on" to mean in this context? "That a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead" is a pretty good description of one of the things I use it to mean. Note that one of the links in that Wikipedia article is to a site called "Pass it forward" that echoes the same general objection mm and I have to the crassness of using "pay": We believed that you can't *Pay* for acts of kindness; only pass that kindness to someone else. ¬R There's really no such thing as a Loser's Club. --Spot http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/emopvere.html Sorry! 1019 >>"Pay it forward" has a meaning completely different from "pass it on". >>Check the Wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > We believed that you can't *Pay* for acts of kindness; > only pass that kindness to someone else. I think of "pay it forward" as being strictly a monetary act in return for a monetary act. Someone gives or loans you money, and you - rather than re-paying them - provide someone else with the money. Most, but not all, of the examples in the Wiki article deal with this. I think of "pass it on" to be doing a favor for someone else in return for a favor you've received. For example, you get a flat tire on a rainy day when you're wearing your good suit. Someone volunteers to change your tire for you. You offer them a few bucks in gratitude, but they say "pass it on". You then do similar act for someone else. Not necessarily changing a tire, but a similar act. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida > I think of "pay it forward" as being strictly a monetary act in return > for a monetary act. Fair enough, but by my count less than half of the examples in the Wikipedia article reflect that. ¬R >>I would interpret "paying forward" to mean paying >>not only the payment due, but also the next one -- [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >forward" suggests to me that the person paying the favor forward is doing >so with the expectation that he's paying ahead on some future obligation. Well, I think the idea is that he B got a favor from someone A earlier, he'll do a favor for someone else C because A doesn't need any favors, and C will understand and do a favor for D some day. Or even more likely, there is no identifiable A. In the case of Ameicans, America as a whole has given them opportunities. Maybe everyone was only doing his job, maybe some did go beyond the minimum. Or maybe 100's or 1000's contributed money to some organiazation that helped his parents when they were poor and he was a child, and he doesn't even know what organization it was. So he shooudl give money or something to some other organization or person in need of an opportunity. Despite all that, I don't like it either. I guess crass is the right word but not for exactly the same reason you give. People should do good things in general, they shouldn't require it to be part of a debt. They shouldn't make it sound like that. I understand why charity fundraisers and helpful-project organizers use this as motivation to get people to give money and work, but it just sounds stupid somehow for the person they have motivated to use the same phrase, this particular phrase. "America has been very good to me", to my family, whatever, seems right. "Beizball been bery bery good to me" seems right. "I'm paying it forward" sounds stupid to me. >I'll stick with "pass it on." I thought that was good but Tony says no, and who am I to argue with Tony (or wiki?)? >¬R / Darla: Leftovers aren't the mark of a man. \ www.bestweb.net/~notr >Andrew Reid: Actually, they are, because that's how men's shirts button. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > But the meaning does rub off in a somewhat crass way, to my ear. "Pay it > forward" suggests to me that the person paying the favor forward is doing > so with the expectation that he's paying ahead on some future obligation. > I'll stick with "pass it on." How about "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." (ECC 11:1)? SignatureBob http://www.kanyak.com |
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