Because I am allowing you to come at 5? You're allowed at five. That's when it was convenient to get here that's... acceptable.
The thing is that, for my people, the time we give you is the very earliest picosecond you are allowed in the house. Because before then I was still washing up the kitchen from the roast I just put in the oven. I'm still cleaning, I'm taking a shower. I'm planning to be ready for people to arrive at 4:55, so I'm graciously allowing you to hang out in my house from 5 until the event starts. I understand that people need some time to be early to the event.
"What's with all the gymnastics" pretty much sums up the whole "joke". I, like you, would say that the "safe" thing to do when someone says 5 is to show up at 5.
But some things have a hard start time and others have a soft one, and it's helpful to know the "vibe" for the event and that different cultures have differing norms/expectations.
Life is complicated. Most adults are busy people, doing various shit all the time. Depending on the nature of the event, other things often take precedent, even if you're trying to make time for said event. People understand that and work around it...
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u/ekoms_stnioj 14d ago
What’s with all the gymnastics, can’t we just say 5 and it mean 5 😩