Sour Grapes
Most of us have probably had sour grapes moments. We want something but cannot get it.
Sour grapes mean we fail to reach what we want, so we pretend it is not important.
We give a sour grapes explanation when we:
- Criticize or make fun of what we cannot have
- Say we never really wanted it or would not have enjoyed it
- Criticize or make fun of the person who gets what we wanted
- Say we don’t care
Although we try to hide it, we are:
- Disappointed we did not get what we wanted
- Jealous of the person who received it.
We find the sour grapes fable in Aesop’s The Fox and the Grapes.
A hungry fox finds good looking grapes hanging above him. When he never succeeds in reaching them, the fox says the grapes are sour. Watch a cartoon version of the fable here.
With an attitude like the fox, we decide if we cannot have something, it was never worth our time or effort – we would not have liked it.
The Bible also mentions sour grapes but with a different meaning.
The Bible’s sour grapes (in Ezekiel 18:2 and Jeremiah 31:29-30) refer to people suffering the consequences for their actions. Expressions that fit those verses include:
“In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29-30 ESV).
Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion. Image by skeeze from Pixabay.
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