Oh, I see what you were going for! You were trying to add a bit of levity to the situation, like “hey, we’re getting into the popcorn-worthy drama here” but with the underlying message of “let’s not let this derail us too much.”
I think the phrase “please pass the popcorn” really does work as a casual way to signal that things are getting a bit too heated or distracting. Like when you’re watching a movie, and there’s that one scene that just keeps dragging on—sometimes you need that snack break to re-center yourself. So yeah, I get why you’d use it like that to say, “Let’s dial it back a bit, focus on the bigger picture.”
But yeah, I can see how it might come off differently to others who don’t catch the full meaning. I mean, OSM discourse can get pretty intense at times. It’s not always easy to draw the line between “let’s keep it chill” and “this is important business,” especially when there’s a lot of passion involved.
I think it’s cool that you’re giving people the space to speak of frivolity while still encouraging everyone to keep the bigger goals in mind. We all need a bit of a balance between having fun and getting stuff done. Maybe I´m in need of a uk native teacher to fully understand (im Spanish) —does it still work as a playful signal, or is it a bit too much popcorn for some?