Acting boring when dealing with harmful people
Imagine you’re dealing with someone who loves to create chaos and drama. It could be a manipulative coworker or a narcissistic relative. You’re tired of their antics and you want to protect yourself. This is where the concept of ‘Gray Rocking’ comes into play.
‘Gray Rocking’ is a strategy where you respond to a toxic person in the most boring, uninteresting way possible. Pretend you’re as dull as a gray rock. Your aim is to become so boring that they lose interest and move onto someone else. So, if your drama-loving cousin starts a conversation about something stressful, you could answer with a plain “hmm” or “really” and then steer the conversation to something incredibly mundane.
The goal of ‘Gray Rocking’ is to deflect the attention of the toxic person to another subject or individual. This helps you avoid getting caught in their web of negativity. But it’s important to know that this method may not always work. Sometimes, trying to divert or ignore a toxic person’s behavior may provoke them to heighten their tactics, resulting in an even more uncomfortable situation for you.
Example for using ‘Gray Rocking’ in a conversation
Hey, did you hear what happened at the party last night? It was crazy!
Oh, really? I didn’t really pay much attention. How was it?
It was wild! There was so much drama and fights. You missed out!
Huh, I guess I’m not really into that stuff. Anyways, did you watch that new movie that came out?
Related Slang Words You Might Be Interested In
| Slang | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Go Ham | Perform something with full force |
| KMSL | Killing myself laughing |
| Feels | Feelings |
| School Air | Air that changes the way you look |
| DOA | Dead on arrival |