I was listening to a conversation on Discord the other day, sort of a podcast-style chat. The theme of the night felt prescient to me, especially with things in the U.S. reaching a boiling point.
That said, I couldn’t help but be bothered by the way the host kept pushing back on his guests. The discussion I had hoped would focus on real problems in America quickly turned into a battle of definitions.
Now, I’m not saying it’s unimportant to define terms—of course it matters. But when you spend the whole evening doing definitional hair-splitting, you’re missing the point. At some point you’ve got to get to the meat and potatoes, the reason you gathered in the first place.
Here’s how it felt: imagine I say, “I’m not a fan of punk rock, I think Blink-182 isn’t that great.” And instead of talking about taste, you spend the next hour lecturing me on how Blink-182 is not, and could never be, punk. Well, congratulations—we just stabbed a rock and expected it to bleed.
I’ll admit, I was tempted to jump in. But it was obvious the host’s priority wasn’t dialogue—it was projecting intellectual superiority. His attitude screamed, “Look how much I know,” instead of actually engaging with the concerns being raised.
I hesitate to call this a skill, but maybe my bias is showing. It just bothers me when people can’t adapt to normal conversation. And by “normal,” I mean the kind where most people don’t waste an hour quibbling over definitions before they ever address the issue.
There’s probably an academic term for this ego-driven activity. But colloquially? I’ve heard it called “fart sampling.” Crude, yes—but hilariously accurate.
MenO
Podcasts aren't a place for discourse. ;) Just as the interview room is not one either.
This can change.
I'm gonna go ahead and give this to you/
Don't edge me like that, bro
I know that all too well! Definitions are very important, but it can be too much. It makes a lot more sense to just say "My definition of XYZ is ...", and then go to the topic. Instead of the other saying "oh, that's a wrong definition!" and then start quacking about definitions instead of getting to the point and discussing something meaningful. If someone has a different definition, I usually try to accept theirs and adapt to it instead of falling into that non-productive-pattern.
ridiculous to spend so much time arguing without moving an inch, and yet there are plenty of people who find this to be a great way to spend an evening.
Haha fart sampling! Breaking it down to basics that can be understood personally, like fart sampling for example is the skill. Now I agree that Blink 182 is the farthest thing from punk but I am no connoisseur on punk but willing to hear someone else’s opinion simply on the risk I might learn something new.
I have never seen politics devolve so deeply into a red team vs blue team violent ignorance as it seems to be now. Problems are to be blamed on the other team and solutions will only benefit half of the people.
You have to know the rhetorical definitions in order to cheer properly for the team you know! ;). So silly.
now we have to argue about the definition of punk for two hours... lol
erm... ¿Punk or Funk?
On the other hand. I think that "normal" conversation leads to inaccurate communication. When it comes to serious matters I take all the time I need to establish definitions of the key terms. Then communication flows naturally.
Yes... in the beginning this is step one.. but I dont want to spend two hours talking about definitions either.
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