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rikibethSomeone commented, yesterday, on my use of "problematic" in an online discussion. They characterized it as a weak word. I hadn't thought of it that way.
It made me realize something about the way I use words. If I disagree with something, but want to give the speaker/writer the benefit of the doubt for good intentions, the word I tend to use is "misguided."
"Mistaken" is a little stronger than that, when I feel it's more than just a matter of opinion.
The next level up from that is "wrongheaded." This is the polite version of "they have their head wedged up their ass."
By the time I'm dragging out "problematic," I'm going for the G-rated version of "that's some pretty fucked-up shit, right there."
However, I can't expect the rest of the world to have a secret decoder ring for Rikibeth Is Trying Not To Swear.
aren't words cool?
It made me realize something about the way I use words. If I disagree with something, but want to give the speaker/writer the benefit of the doubt for good intentions, the word I tend to use is "misguided."
"Mistaken" is a little stronger than that, when I feel it's more than just a matter of opinion.
The next level up from that is "wrongheaded." This is the polite version of "they have their head wedged up their ass."
By the time I'm dragging out "problematic," I'm going for the G-rated version of "that's some pretty fucked-up shit, right there."
However, I can't expect the rest of the world to have a secret decoder ring for Rikibeth Is Trying Not To Swear.
aren't words cool?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-30 08:31 pm (UTC)My own glossary is something like:
"That's not clear." or "That's questionable." => I don't endorse what you said, but don't yet oppose it. You could convince me, but you haven't yet.
"That's misleading." => I oppose the most likely meaning of what you said, but I can see alternative things you might potentially have meant by it that I endorse or could be convinced to endorse.
"That's simply false." => I oppose what you said, not just as a matter of alignment or principle, but as a question of fact. That said, perhaps it's a peripheral aspect of what you are trying to get at and I'm focusing on a tangent; you're free to drop it and take a different tack.
"That's problematic." => I don't necessarily oppose what you said, but it seems to entail other things that I do oppose. If you want my endorsement, you're going to have to show me how those things don't actually follow from what you said.
"That's insane/incoherent/nonsense/wrong." => I oppose not only what you said, but also what I believe you meant by it. (The words aren't interchangeable; they indicate different kinds of opposition.)