When’s the last time someone has stood outside the library with a “free compliments” sign and said, “hey, you have a nice smile?”
Sound creepy? I guess it depends on how you say it.
But two students at Tufts University say kind words including that. They’re members of the “free compliments club,” a group that offer niceties for the sake of it.
Should we start our own chapter?
“I like the idea,” Father George Collins, S.J., director of campus ministry, told me as he sipped his Einstein Bro’s coffee Monday morning. “There’s days when everyone could use a free compliment.”
However, we agree that Fairfield doesn’t necessarily need a free compliments club.
We’re a nice campus as it is. Most people I’ve encountered here seems to be extremely friendly. People held doors open for me when I’m 50 yards away.
In other words, you don’t need to be a member of a club to be nice to someone, or to offer them a compliment.
This complement club reminds me of a group I encountered when a buddy and I visited Washington, D.C., this summer.
We were about to leave Old Glory Bar-B-Que, a Georgetown bar, when a small army of barcrawling guys and girls arrived in yellow “free hugs” t-shirts. And they made good on their offer, giving a hug to everyone who asked.
These people really changed the atmosphere of the bar and brought a more positive vibe. Could you imagine a better conversation starter with women at the bar than “Excuse me, what’s that cool t-shirt about?”
Boom. Conversation.
This group made the bar feel like a gathering of friends. Well, I guess friends that somehow don’t even know each other.
I’m not saying that you hug everybody at a bar. Certainly, it’s not advisable to hug someone who hasn’t showered in weeks.
Nor am I saying that you should give a compliment where one is obviously not due. Surely, though, if someone is deserving of a compliment, you should give one.
We don’t seem to have a free compliments club at Fairfield. But if you do decide to start one, I’ll be the first to compliment you.
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