Not the least bit unfair. (Destiny)

by narcogen , Andover, Massachusetts, Thursday, January 30, 2020, 18:14 (1766 days ago) @ Claude Errera

Even cheapLEY conceded that he chose his words poorly. "Not what I said at all" is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

I don't think so, but I will concede the point, because I think this has gone far enough.

Narc's comment was still unfair.

If we can spend years holding Cody's feet to the flames for refusing to use socially accepted rhetorical flourishes that positively identify statements as personal opinions and not universal truths, then we can do it for others as well.

As a rhetorical tactic, "who cares" is way, WAY beyond the expression "I don't care." The simplest expression of "I don't care" is saying nothing at all. Somewhere up from that is just baldly stating a lack of interest in the topic before exiting the conversation, as a way of backing away politely.

Leading with "who cares" and staying in the fray to defend it is like lobbing a grenade. It's a rhetorical tactic that suggests one is speaking for a larger group, that expresses mockery of the legitimate interest of others. It's an aggressive expression of the cynical idea that the status quo is either already the best world possible, or at least the one we deserve because we haven't already made it better.

It's possible that not all of that was consciously intended. It's possible that this phrase, as a technique, was absorbed without close attention being paid to all the ramifications. But even if that is the case, it is not out of bounds to say that it is not acceptable-- or at least to point out that this is how it is perceived.

Now, if you're saying MY not particularly oblique reference was unwarranted, that's another thing, but then again, not everybody takes that reference as being pejorative, so who is to say?

By the way, am I reading this thread correctly? Do Kermit, Cody and I essentially agree in our reactions to this?