I was worried about that vague word "bother", too. Actually, it might be ambiguous, instead of vague: since we can make some reasonably clear distinctions between what kind of "bother" it is (as you've done, and I thought of too, when I read it), we can tell that it's ambiguous, and not vague. We can see choices, which wouldn't be there to see if it were vaguely used.
So, I wonder which meaning that person was going for. If, for example, people bother her (remember this word has more negative connotations than good) by intruding in her life for no good reason, then the negative use of bother is likely justified. In this case, the word "care" is also being used pejoratively, which makes that whole quote more questionable as it stands.
If, however, someone is genuinely interested in what that person does - viz. someone who cares, as you've rightly noted - then it's not really bothering with the intent to frustrate her daily life; it's a little intervention by someone who cares about something, and she's the one who can be of help. It's this reading that I don't object to; it doesn't look down on people, and it doesn't blindly equate bothering with caring.
With you, I hope it's being used in the latter sense of caring. The bad thing about quotes is that they can be troublesome when inspected carefully. Pick your quotes carefully, is my suggestion.
Pleiades Rising
Otaku Idol (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 05/29/10 | Reply
I was worried about that vague word "bother", too. Actually, it might be ambiguous, instead of vague: since we can make some reasonably clear distinctions between what kind of "bother" it is (as you've done, and I thought of too, when I read it), we can tell that it's ambiguous, and not vague. We can see choices, which wouldn't be there to see if it were vaguely used.
So, I wonder which meaning that person was going for. If, for example, people bother her (remember this word has more negative connotations than good) by intruding in her life for no good reason, then the negative use of bother is likely justified. In this case, the word "care" is also being used pejoratively, which makes that whole quote more questionable as it stands.
If, however, someone is genuinely interested in what that person does - viz. someone who cares, as you've rightly noted - then it's not really bothering with the intent to frustrate her daily life; it's a little intervention by someone who cares about something, and she's the one who can be of help. It's this reading that I don't object to; it doesn't look down on people, and it doesn't blindly equate bothering with caring.
With you, I hope it's being used in the latter sense of caring. The bad thing about quotes is that they can be troublesome when inspected carefully. Pick your quotes carefully, is my suggestion.