I had a conversation earlier today over email that went approximately like this:
Them: Hi. You said X. We think you mean Y. You need to do Z because you said Y.
Me: I said X. I didn't mean Y. If I meant Y I would have said Y.
T: We're trying to find everyone who said Y so we can make them do Z. Did you say Y? That way we know if you have to do Z.
M: I said X. I didn't say Y.
T: If you said Y you have to do Z. Please do Z.
This is not a particularly good way to get me to do anything, especially Z.
P.S. Every time I write "do Z" my brain says "make every zig."
I 'them' people at work all the time, usually managers because I don't like the X they assign. I'm pretty successful at convincing them that I need to do Z because a.) I like Z and b.) I throw around a couple of terms that go over their head and they'll submit sooner or later. Only person I can't convince is Rob E.
Y?
Peter Gibbons: You see, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.