Phrase: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
Have you ever felt trapped in a situation in which you had to do something but were damned if you do, damned if you don’t do it?
There are times when we have to choose between two undesirable options, and there is no neutral third option available.
The difficulty arises when there will be adverse consequences due to our decision, no matter what we choose.
You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t when there will be adverse consequences as a result of your decision, no matter what you choose.
Unfortunately, we often find ourselves in a situation where we must choose the lesser of two evils.
Imagine you are involved in a small airplane crash (I don’t mean that the accident was minor, I mean that the airplane was small).
So there you are, the pilot is deceased, and you are two hundred kilometres from everything.
You could go north to find communications and food, or you could go south.
If you stay, you are guaranteed to die, so that’s not a viable option.
What do you do?
You need to go, but you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Two hundred kilometres in the desert is a long way.
It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be painful.
Ok, maybe this example sounds too out of the ordinary for you.
Let’s think about a situation closer to home (pun intended).
Imagine that you wake up late and have just enough time to get dressed and run to the station.
You don’t, however, have time to apply your makeup.
Now you have to choose.
You can put your makeup on at home and show up late for work, or you can apply your makeup on the train, which is considered appalling manners in Japan.
No matter which option you choose, there is an adverse outcome; you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 78.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.