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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

I Wish I Had More Things To Say About The State That I Am In

I have the suspicion (said he) that a lot of what you say is wrong.

If that's true (said I), why don't you attempt to disprove these things I say?

I would, I would (said he), but I don't think I know enough.

Ah! (said I) so you don't know that I am wrong but you feel that I am wrong.

I don't think (said he) it's coming entirely from a feeling.  For example, part of what you're saying may contradict something that I know to be true, but just a part, so I can't entirely dismiss what you're saying.  However, that part is crucially important to your argument, & so it tends to make me distrust the entire thing.

Shall I even ask (said I) what part of what I've suggested goes against something you know is true?

Well of course (said he) I can't think about anything in particular you've said right now.

Of course (said I).

Please don't be sarcastic (said he).  Some people don't have a quick mind.  Or good recall.

Then perhaps (said I) when I say something that seems to be untrue or, as you put it, "wrong," you can speak up at the time or while we're talking instead of suggesting, like you have, that two or three incidents have invalidated most of what I say.

You know (said he), you have I guess it's a rhetorical trick or something because you've managed to make it sound like it's just been two or three times instead of most of the time.

Well (said I) you can't even give me one example, which makes it a pretty bold statement since you & I have been having conversations for years.  Or...

What (said he)?

Or perhaps (said I), this is something you've only noticed in the past few months.

No (said he).

Which begs the questions (said I), why bring it up now?

I don't know (said he).  Maybe I've been meaning to & it just came out.  What were we talking about before?

The new Star Trek movie (said I).

Oh yeah (said he).

In which case (said I) I don't know if anything I said at that time might be construed as wrong, as I was just giving you my opinion of the film.  You might disagree with my opinion, but I don't think you can say an opinion is "wrong."

You can't (said he)?

I don't think so (said I).  At best an opinion can be informed.

What do you mean (said he)?

I mean (said I), I can make a comment about a jazz record like "I don't like this record," but since I'm not a huge fan of jazz or since I don't know much about it, my opinion would mean less to someone who knows way more about jazz than I do.

Oh (said he).  Maybe I wasn't talking about opinions then.

You don't remember what you were talking about! (said I).

You always have to be right (said he).

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