Go to What I SHOULD Have Said... main page
Here is one story retold,
albeit with a pithier ending:
From Sara:
You are as good as paper
What happened: I emailed my teacher, asking to set up a meeting to discuss a project. He wrote back "No I can't meet you. Read the handout for answers."
What I said: Nothing, I was too pissed
What I SHOULD have said: Dear Professor B,
How silly of me to assume that you would take ten minutes out of your freakishly busy day to meet with one of your students who is trying to show a little bit of effort in your class. I will absolutely check the handout, because a piece of paper will give me just as much--if not more constructive criticism than you could have ever hoped to conceive on your own. Bitch.
Love,
Sara
L'esprit d'escalier
The French call it l'esprit d'escalier, "the wit of the staircase," those biting ripostes that are thought of just seconds too late, on the way out of the room-or even, to tell the truth, days later. It's happened to you: you've suddenly thought of just what would put your foe in his or her place, but past the time when the arrow could sting its victim. You've stewed in your own juice ever since, and the chance for singeing repartee is gone forever.
Or is it?
Dorothy Parker or Oscar Wilde may have had the rapier wit to tweak their tormentors on the spot, but for the rest of us, we offer the Internet's only L'esprit d'escalier web site!
