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An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

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Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#11

Post by iamwil »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #6

They must something that teenagers can spot as true. Indeed. Many of these are sophomoric "truths" that a teenager might believe, but someone with more understanding would spot as falsehoods.

Which ones are false? The only one I vaguely reacted to was about how women are less adept at symbol manipulation.

I think there might be other sides of the coins and exceptions in exceptional situations to some of these, but overall, I didn't think they were falsehoods. Perhaps I'm too easily agreeable.

But defn, I didn't find them surprising.

Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#14

Post by rauljara »

The list has the air of, 'you're an idiot if you disagree.' I suspect the punishment that the author perceives from society has more to do with over confidence of the delivery than the content itself.

Not to say I agree with all (or even most) of those statements. All of them are highly debatable. Even the ones I agree with are not clear cut. I think that's why I do find myself upset on reading the list. I find it particularly infuriating when very complicated matters are cut down into terse one liners as though no more thought is needed.

Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#15

Post by nickpp »

I say (and believe) things from that list every day. I find it funny to provoke people and test how much they can accept.

You can guess how popular I am with friends and at parties.

Consequently, my list of things we can't say would be very different. I guess each of us has his own limits and his own taboos.

Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#18

Post by ErrantX »

iamwil wrote: post #11
CWuestefeld wrote: post #6

They must something that teenagers can spot as true. Indeed. Many of these are sophomoric "truths" that a teenager might believe, but someone with more understanding would spot as falsehoods.

Which ones are false? The only one I vaguely reacted to was about how women are less adept at symbol manipulation. I think there might be other sides of the coins and exceptions in exceptional situations to some of these, but overall, I didn't think they were falsehoods. Perhaps I'm too easily agreeable. But defn, I didn't find them surprising.

Maybe not outright falshoods - but possibly a product of over zealous cynicism.

For example:

"Fathers being suspicious of their young daughters' boyfriends and dates is really just sexual jealousy"

Could just as easily be attributed (nowadays) to social pressure: e.g. it is a well known in pop culture that fathers are suspicious of their daughters boyfriends and so some of them are. :)

(and yeh I realise it is somewhat ironic to be disagreeing with a list of "things that cant be said" :))

Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#19

Post by ugh »

Maybe stuff you can't say (and definitly should be able to say, no doubt about that), but not stuff that is (obviously) true.

I have a hard time believing that there is empirical verification for all of the things on the list. (Considering the ability of the social sciences, I would claim that - at least today - finding out whether much of what is on the list is true, is pretty much impossible. Not forever or even in principle impossible, just as things stand today impossible.)

Re: An actual attempt at a list of "What You Can't Say."

#20

Post by mquander »

asciilifeform wrote: post #16
gometro33 wrote: post #12

Tell me again why we're listening to this guy?

Tell me again why we shouldn't?

Because most of the content is insultingly inane. I don't need some single guy with no kids telling me about how

Love is not eternal. It is a simple state of endorphin chemistry. It serves a single evolutionary purpose. It lasts about three years.

Fathers being suspicious of their young daughters' boyfriends and dates is really just sexual jealousy.

Parents care less about their children than they do about their careers, their socioeconomic status, and what the Joneses think. That's why we have public schools instead of home education by one parent who doesn't have a "career".

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