A Few Problematic Common Phrases, And How To Avoid Them
May 10th 2008 05:11
Category: No Category
This is a list to be added to, but here are my first three entries:
(1) I agree - While this is a quick way to demonstrate your sense of solidarity with another's opinion (and may be convenient when you only have a limited time to do so), it also reinforces the idea that minds can think exactly the same thing. It's much better to provide a response which indicates how the text in question stimulates your own opinion. Surely you can put things in other words, and I don't just mean paraphrasing? If you really care about an issue, then you can add to the discourse on and around it by taking the time to construct a response which is unique and inspires a different way of thinking about the issue in question. Probe further - how does the text that inspired you direct your thinking? You'll soon realise that avoiding echoing the other's sentiment allows you to be more inventive, and even discover aspects of your opinion which you may not have previously thought about. Even if you have a strong affinity for the way a person has expressed themselves, move outside your comfort zone and embellish on their points, offer a different perspective and show that person that you respect their thoughts enough not to let them speak for anyone else but themselves. In other words, be a leader, not a follower. Using "I agree" may not automatically make you a "'yes' man", but it limits you to a simplistic representation of allegiance, one that is best avoided.
(2) Absolutely / Definitely / Certainly / Positively / Completely / Totally / etc - In our postmodern world, nothing is absolute, definite, certain, positive, complete or total. It's bemusing to me just how often people use these words in their speech. Life is unpredictable, nothing is set in stone, and our identities are constantly in flux, so use language accordingly - emphasise shifts in perspectives, recontextualisation of paradigms, your upcoming change of mind.
(3) That's so true - This also indicates a sense of certainty, and promotes the view that there is a Universal Truth out there that all people can tap into - once it is spoken, it shoud be recognised as such. It will take mainstream society a lot of time to realise that everyone has their own truth, but turning that into a metanarrative which is applicable to all is a misguided practice. Be a role model: Revered academics, intellectuals and thinkers believe in the concept of a universal Truth, so by avoiding this popular fallacy you are encouraging everyone around you to find new forms of self-expression which don't conform to whatever has been passed down by the Enlightenment. The best way to test the relevance of a text is to formulate your own detailed response to it, and see where it leads you - as with 'I agree', think outside the box and you shall be rewarded.
(1) I agree - While this is a quick way to demonstrate your sense of solidarity with another's opinion (and may be convenient when you only have a limited time to do so), it also reinforces the idea that minds can think exactly the same thing. It's much better to provide a response which indicates how the text in question stimulates your own opinion. Surely you can put things in other words, and I don't just mean paraphrasing? If you really care about an issue, then you can add to the discourse on and around it by taking the time to construct a response which is unique and inspires a different way of thinking about the issue in question. Probe further - how does the text that inspired you direct your thinking? You'll soon realise that avoiding echoing the other's sentiment allows you to be more inventive, and even discover aspects of your opinion which you may not have previously thought about. Even if you have a strong affinity for the way a person has expressed themselves, move outside your comfort zone and embellish on their points, offer a different perspective and show that person that you respect their thoughts enough not to let them speak for anyone else but themselves. In other words, be a leader, not a follower. Using "I agree" may not automatically make you a "'yes' man", but it limits you to a simplistic representation of allegiance, one that is best avoided.
Here you are being blatantly asked for your agreement - this phrase is deeply embedded in our society and it may take a lot of time to popularise the idea of it being problematic
(2) Absolutely / Definitely / Certainly / Positively / Completely / Totally / etc - In our postmodern world, nothing is absolute, definite, certain, positive, complete or total. It's bemusing to me just how often people use these words in their speech. Life is unpredictable, nothing is set in stone, and our identities are constantly in flux, so use language accordingly - emphasise shifts in perspectives, recontextualisation of paradigms, your upcoming change of mind.
(3) That's so true - This also indicates a sense of certainty, and promotes the view that there is a Universal Truth out there that all people can tap into - once it is spoken, it shoud be recognised as such. It will take mainstream society a lot of time to realise that everyone has their own truth, but turning that into a metanarrative which is applicable to all is a misguided practice. Be a role model: Revered academics, intellectuals and thinkers believe in the concept of a universal Truth, so by avoiding this popular fallacy you are encouraging everyone around you to find new forms of self-expression which don't conform to whatever has been passed down by the Enlightenment. The best way to test the relevance of a text is to formulate your own detailed response to it, and see where it leads you - as with 'I agree', think outside the box and you shall be rewarded.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
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That's so true,
Sorry, couldn't resist. blame Morgan. She did it first.
Good post.
Comment by postmoderncritic
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Comment by Market Newbie
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But I completely and positively agree that that's so true.
This must be the world's aping day!
Comment by postmoderncritic
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(4) How exotic! - No matter how well intentioned, this phrase reproduces prejudices against the outside world and represents an insular existance. Are we really so different? 'Exotic' promotes the idea of an ever-unappropriable 'Other', something so removed from day-to-day existance that it cannot be reconciled to it. This can often carry colonialist, eurocentric and/or racist connotations.
Reference to the exotic were more frequent in past centuries, when contact with other parts of the world was limited. Thanks to the introduction of the telephone, the internet, fax, television, long-haul travel (airplanes, the Trans-Siberian railway) and so forth, people are more aware of their fellow earth dwellers in different regions of the globe, and this is breaking down the need for words such as 'exotic' and 'foreign' - we're all more familiar with each other these days.
There's really no excuse to conceptualise of the 'exotic' anymore, since all the information you may desire about another culture is available to you at the click of a button on a search engine. I have always found that the more I get interested in and spend time getting to know about something different, the less different it becomes. So I think saying something is 'exotic' is to show that you don't respect it enough to take an interest and make it part of your world. Which is like not respecting your own curiosity, or nurturing a desire to learn.
Comment by James Rickard
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Check this out...
Comment by postmoderncritic
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by postmoderncritic
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