the common thread is that you, the listener, are special, and the speaker is the person who gets to recognize you as special, and the proof of your specialness is...
The speaker has granted you a “special” status, and now they can also set the rules you have to follow unless you want that status revoked. How much are you willing to pay in order to keep that precious status?
Antidotes: “I am not special” or “whether I am special or not, does not depend on whether X thinks I am”.
Antidotes: “I am not special” or “whether I am special or not, does not depend on whether X thinks I am”.
Or: “whether I’m ‘special’ or not is a red herring, a distraction; meanwhile, this person who’s trying so hard to make me feel special, is obviously trying to manipulate me, and must be viewed with exceptional scrutiny”.
The speaker has granted you a “special” status, and now they can also set the rules you have to follow unless you want that status revoked. How much are you willing to pay in order to keep that precious status?
Antidotes: “I am not special” or “whether I am special or not, does not depend on whether X thinks I am”.
Or: “whether I’m ‘special’ or not is a red herring, a distraction; meanwhile, this person who’s trying so hard to make me feel special, is obviously trying to manipulate me, and must be viewed with exceptional scrutiny”.