6. Figures of speech
   
 
                         a. Having fun
 
    Fun as a possession or commodity is a common archetype in America,
though the experience of fun appears quite relationship dependent
everywhere. The logically implied mockery of a person's emotional
dependency does appear to poison the feelings of fun when the term "having
fun" is used in conversation.
 
   
                         b. Are we having fun yet?
 
   Many, and perhaps even most, kinds of fun have an initiation phase of
some sort that a person must endure before they are able to be
spontaneously graceful enough to focus on feeling. The question though,
"are we having fun yet?", with it's use of "we", is logically a serious
mocking jab, generally said with that intent.
   
   
                         c. Did you enjoy that?
   
   Friends decompressing after an event have a deliberately kind way to
speak of the feelings using the word enjoy. Though the word can be said with
a lewd tone to poison it, that use is uncommon. Though fun feelings are
highly relationship dependent, they are illusion and so are inevitably
unique to each person and each event, and are radically affected by
uninhibited expression at the time. Thus often even an empathic friend
cannot guess at someone's experience of happiness.
   
   
                         d. Making fun of
   
   Creating fun and making fun are oddly opposites. "Making fun of" is a
logical reference to a commodity focus on fun, particularly of using a
person as if they were a device without feelings. Since actual feelings of
fun have no commodity basis, an attempt create feelings of fun using a
"making fun of" approach is logically risky and often fizzles unless the
person evoking it has some sort of institutional support.
   
   
                         e. Funny feeling
   
   Fun and funny are tied by a reference to novelty, a funny feeling being
a feeling that somehow contrasts with normal background. Even if worrisome,
a funny feelings feels good enough to nearly always be a delight.
 
   
                         f. Poor sport
 
   The emotional casualties of fun are not always answered with compassion
or even tolerance. Particularly in competitive fun, those who lose and feel
to rotten to be inspired to further engagement are often derided as being a
"poor sport". For many people a nasty or painful stimulus is much more life
affirming than no stimulus, so they will make an offer of abusive
engagement intending a genuine gift, and can be quite baffled and
disappointed if the result is social disaster.