Helen Of DestroyA few years ago I worked with a man who had recently immigrated to the united states and was trying to perfect his English. He would commonly ask us if he used the right word or pronunciation. One time he asked me about the difference between "Can I?" and "May I?" I gave it some thought and said "If you were to say "Can I buy you a drink" I may reply with "Yes you can, but no you may not." He considered this for a second and said "Why do you have to be such a bitch about it?"
It was meant as a jest but sometimes I think about the implication that saying no makes me a bitch. He himself is rather misogynistic but what does it say about me that I found that funny at the time and still kind of do?