Does anyone ever really like being teased?  Well, first of all, I think it depends on how a person does it.  Then, what is the relationship between the two parties?  What is the tone of the person’s voice?  For example, is it playful, sweet or silly?  Or is it mean-spirited, or sarcastic?

Looking up the definition of this word was shocking to me.  I always thought there would be 2 types of definitions: some positive and others negative.  To the contrary, the definitions I found were mostly negative.  In some other dictionaries however, both were considered as possibilities.  As a student I worked with from China would say, “Aaaa! English!”  I agree.  English is very difficult to learn as a second language.

So, back to the English definition(s) of “tease.”  I prefer to think that both are acceptable.  Teasing has always been considered a way of flirting to some people.  But as I think about it more and more, I can see the many negative aspects of it.  That is a sad thing to me.  Bullies often respond to the ones they are bullying, with negative statements, such as “Can’t you take a joke?  I was only teasing.”  Yeah, right!  Blame the ones you bullied.  It’s all their fault.

The only kind of teasing I can tolerate is the positive kind.  And that can be tricky too.  Actually, I think we could dispense with the word and its definitions entirely, except for the teasing of hair.  That is okay.

It’s a tricky thing to find the right words to express ourselves anymore.  With new slang coming into the vernacular on a continuous basis, our use of them in conversations depends on our age.  The older we become, the less we understand the new vocabulary that constantly changes. Even as I am writing this I am sure new words are being added.  And I fully expect to be exposed to new vocabulary every time I see my grandchildren.  It happens all the time.

But despite the problems, I still am in love with the English language.  Even with all its difficulties considered, it is understood by more people than any other language in the world.  It is used by more than 1.4 billion speakers.  I wonder how many of those use the word tease in their daily lives.  Not too many, I would think.  And that’s okay with me.