Two women were talking about this boxer at a pizzeria, on the table next to mine. One was explaining to the second how she was a transgender woman and under HRT, so this was the cause of the debate. I had to step in and tell them she was completely cis and that he father didn’t want her to pick up box because it was not a girly enough sport
A lie can make it halfway across the world before the truth has had time to lace up its shoes, to paraphrase an old adage
There could be a complete genetic breakdown of Khelif posted tomorrow to every news outlet that proves, conclusively, she is a cis woman, and it wouldn’t matter. The lie that started everything is more interesting and has more staying power
People who aren’t invested in it but who hear it casually in “reputable news sources” aren’t going to inform themselves on any corrections, the damage is already done
The key to talking about things you don’t know about is to be loud, aggressive, and ridiculously confident in your beliefs. Project competency though you have none.
One time in English class we had a series of debates as one of our assignments. I completely winged it and got a B+ just for sounding authoritative.
What about learning these phrases instead:
- I believe
- I seem to recall
- As I understand it
- It seems to me that
- In my experience
In other words, make it clear to the reader what your level of skill or knowledge is.
Whilst chewing on that, consider adding a source if you have one (or six).
Source: I’ve been here a while and it’s stood me in good stead during online (and offline) conversation over the decades.
Me: My understanding is [nuanced take on subject I do know about] but that’s just what I read in [multiple good sources]
If you’re actually informed, couching your opinion like this dulls its impact for no good reason. It’s good to speak/write confidently when you have cause to be confident.
Hedging is great for situations where you aren’t confident, but should otherwise be used sparingly.
Thanks, it’s my understanding, that it’s quite likely that I’ll probably keep posting this way due to the whole bundle of neuroses, anxiety and imposter syndrome that makes up my psyche. But that’s just what I’ve heard.
“No investigation, no right to speak.”
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
