Wet paint psychology | What is WP. Psyches?

What is wet paint psychology? Wet paint psychology as we understand it is a way of saying one thing while meaning quite another, usually the opposite. For example, a group of friends may be hanging out together somewhere, watching a game or something like that. And one of them may be heard to be saying something like: yow! That dude is bad, or the dude is dope. 

Wet paint psyches 

Neither of those terms would be what they really think of the “guy” person, in their real linguistic forms. What they really want to say would be more like, this person is really great at what he does, or, he is really good. So, being dope, or bad, as seen through the eyes of these buddies, really means: good, or great, proficient, capable and such. Isn’t that the same thing as “reverse psychology,” you asked? Well, yes, in a sense but, the only difference would be that, with reverse psyches, it is would be understood or supposed that both the speaker as well as the hearer would most likely be aware of the meaning going in, in the case of the wet paint psyches, the one might have intended one thing going in but was really surprised at the outcome, as it turned out on the part of the other. And may have been intended to teach a valuable lesson.

Case in point. Have you ever gone into a building and see a sign posted which read, “wet paint,” only to stand (or sit) and watch as one person after another upon seeing the sign, would reach out and touch the wall, with a finger first, probably? As if to verify if the paint was in fact, wet? Well, that’s it right there. The person who had posted the sign most likely had intended for people to refrain from touching the wall any, in order to avoid getting the wet paint unto themselves or on their garments.

However, from the perspective of the person who is walking by and seeing the sign, in his/her mind she wants to find out for sure if the paint is really wet, and there is one way to find out, by touching it. With just a tip of a finger at first yes, just-in-case. But the intent at the other end of the transaction, at the starting point, was that people, including you, and me too, should refrain from touching the wall, or any other such surface which could possibly be under renovation and hence being painted, and still wet. Speaking of “under,” that is what you are supposed to do in such situation: keep the floor under your feet and hands by your side and keep on moving. But that is never going to be what the person does upon seeing a sign posted which reads, “wet paint.” With that said, we will be tagging some of our posts with the wet paint tag, for purposes we need not say any further here.

Lighting up a pipe

Here’s a scenario for you. An old man was sitting out under his favorite shady tree, at high evening. He was just about to light up his pipe and savor the taste of his smoke. He would have called out to one of his grandsons, “bring me a light, or lite,” he said. The young boy went into the fireplace, took out a piece of burning hot coal and turned around walking, walking the way back to get the fire to his grandfather so that he could light up his pipe. All the while, while walking back, he was throwing the burning hot coal from one hand to the other.  The grandfather, upon seeing what was happening, decided to teach the boy a lesson. Slowly, very slowly, the old man would have taken to doing house-cleaning, or more like pipe-cleaning. He would have, quite calmly, proceeded to remove the tobacco fillings which was already there in the pipe, waiting for the fire to lite it up. He took it all back out, put it aside and began cleaning the pipe.

Meanwhile, the young boy was there tossing the fire coal from one hand to the other, until. Until it was too much for him, he would have dropped the coal which was by then out, the fire was out. If grandpa, is going to lite up his pipe, it was going to have to be with another fire or flaming source other than that. Grandpa would have used the “wet paint” psychology there, without so much as a spoken word. Well, other than for the initial request for a lite. Grandpa took to cleaning the pipe to teach the boy some sense, next time, take the fire on the wood, or in a container or something, but for crying out loud, never in your bare hand. Message received. Thank you for your time, attention, and –Oh! Watch out for that wet paint, right there. #wetpaintpsychology, #wppsyches.

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