Almost-Dispassionate
Most people are cool, calm, and collected, and approach life in a level-headed way most of the time (unless they're of Italian decent). When someone's emotions get the better of them (when an idea grips the meat), we say that the person has become passionate. (This could also happen to groups of people.)
When someone is completely neutral, indifferent, detached, and unruffled about everything, we say they are dispassionate. But almost-everyone spends almost-all their time being almost-dispassionate about almost-everything.
Types/Categories
1. Interested: Concerned. Involved. Annoyed. Troubled. Expectant.
2. Bothered: Awakened. Alerted. Disgusted.
Examples
The goal of political rhetoric is to rouse people out of indifference and into a state of being "almost-dispassionate." You don't want to leave people so passionate that they run amok, or lose their passion as soon as the stimulus has passed. But you do want to slip something under the skin such that they stay in an altered state for a while.
More Examples
"Hey Jake, you know, I don't think there is anyone who loves their job more than I do. . . . "
Birthdays. I just live for birthdays. Yup. Bring on the cake. Who's having the next birthday?
