It takes all kinds, I’ve often heard it said. Probably every last one of us has met at least one person who finds a reason to complain about everything. Sometimes, the sound of the complaining is grating on the nerves. If it’s a person with whom you’ve been acquainted for quite some time, it can actually become humorous. Still, it does make you wonder. Why do they have to complain about every last thing? What comfort does the complaining bring? Is it just a habit? There are probably myriad reasons for chronic complainers. From personal observance, I’ve come up with a few.
Some people just like the sound of their own voices. Let’s face it-we’re all human. It would not be very difficult at all to walk into a situation and find some sort of fault with it. Even the most well-intentioned of people are going to make a mistake or three. Most of us have a filter that prevents us from pointing out faults-especially if the overall situation is really pretty good. Ah, but those complainers. Rather than seeing the overall beauty of something, they’ll find (and exploit) that one flaw. It gives them something to say, which, for this kind of complainer, is really what it’s all about.
Rather than calling the next reason “group number two,” it’s really more like group “1B.” These are the intellectuals. They see themselves as superior to others. These would include your college professor types, who live in an ivory tower and can, therefore, find fault with everything. While the world of academia is fascinating, it really doesn’t touch on the real world at all. So, complainers of this nature can begin their snideness with words like, “In a perfect world…” We all know the world isn’t perfect-and this includes the academicians-but pointing out faults in the imperfect world can give one an air of superiority-the intellectual’s best friend.
Ah, but the most clever of those who complain all the time are those who want a built-in excuse. An example of this would be the guy who, when he gets to the golf course, complains about the wind. He already can’t lose. If he shoots a lousy score, he’s got the wind as an excuse. If he shoots well, he can say, “Well, with the wind today, I really overcame adversity.” It’s sort of like a pre-emptive strike in war. If you can get a seemingly legitimate complaint in before beginnning an endeavor, you’ve got a reason for failure.
In the end, that’s all complainers really want-a mask for their own insecurities. Whether the reason is for hearing yourself talk or to sound particularly intelligent or to send out a pre-emptive strike, a person whom complains all the time is really just covering up for his own failures.
