damnum absque injuria

August 14, 2009

How to Sound Profound

Filed under:   by Xrlq @ 9:04 pm

It’s not so much what you say, as how you say it. Case in point:

Childish and immature: “I know you are, but what am I?”

Clinical and profound: “You are projecting.”

Discuss.

4 Responses to “How to Sound Profound”

  1. Doc Rampage Says:
    August 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    I disagree. “You are projecting” can be a content-free insult but can also be a true and legitimate point. In this sense it is like “you are being illogical” or “you don’t know what you are talking about”. It is, of course, an ad hominem argument, but as a lawyer you are no doubt aware (as too many amateur logicians are not) that ad hominem is often a legitimate argument type –when attempting to discredit eye-witness or expert testimony for example.

  2. Xrlq Says:
    August 16th, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    My point exactly. Surely there are occasions where a bratty fourth grader really does know – legitimately – that the other bratty four year old is exactly what he called him. Right?

  3. Doc Rampage Says:
    August 17th, 2009 at 1:01 am

    Ah. I guess I had your intent reversed.

  4. Xrlq Says:
    August 17th, 2009 at 6:15 am

    My point was somewhere in between; the kiddy version isn’t always wrong, and the clinical version sometimes is.

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