What’s Your Damage?

The phrase, or question, “What’s your damage?” really deserves a revival.

Everyone is damaged somehow. Everyone has their pet peeves and their pet biases.

I have yet to meet anyone who is perfectly sane. There is a high percentage of people who are fantastic actors though, so we see most people with their sane faces whenever they’re in public.

Life is a stage. So said Norman Bates.

Or more accurately, so said Robert Bloch, the writer of Psycho, who recognized how humans can seem to be good, mother-loving citizens, but have some weird and psychotic secrets.

Driving around any city in America, the covert issues start to show, they start to be expressed rather than repressed. That’s when you’ll be wanting a rhetorical question like, “What’s your damage!?”

Attending a therapy meeting, with other like-minded individuals, you might use the same question, only you might soften the delivery a little, so you can get to know your new friends: “What’s your damage?”

Sounds like asking someone what their favorite neurosis is.

When shopping for someone to watch your dog for the weekend, this question is highly valuable. You’ll be wanting to know exactly what you’re getting for your money. “So, my potential dog-sitter, what’s your damage?”

If they say, “Nothing. I’m perfectly sane.” Yeah, right. They’re lying. What else will they lie about? Whether they neglected your pet or not?

When picking politicians out of the tar pit to represent you, the question doesn’t even need to be asked, it should be understood. “We the people, want to know what your damage is.” If the politician admits his, or her, failings and shortcomings, you’ll know they’re grassroots and won’t be in the political scene long. The lifetime politicians are the ones who hide every sickness, no matter how common.

The phrase, “What’s your damage?” works well in many distressing situations too. When a tree falls on your house, you can ask it, “What’s your damage, tree?” When a hurricane ruins your sailboat, the same question applies, except it’s for the hurricane. And when your rice paddy dries up, you can still ask, even though you know exactly what the damage is.

Really, it’s a question, or a phrase, with a variety of uses.

Look for ways you can use it.

Revive the phrase. Revive the question. Get to know the psychos in your life.