Epistemology, my ass...
I know everything. I am an unlimited fountain of information, a veritable library of fact and fiction, knowledge and explanation. Hit me with a question and Ill come back atcha, answer in tow, checked, verified and set in stone. Throw me a curve ball, crack the cement and Ill come rolling back into view, side-winding a bit, but newly updated and ready to go.
Just gimme a little time thats all I ask.
In reality, Im a lot dumber than many of you may think. If you met me in person, theres very few subjects I could espouse on as clearly and with as much knowledge as I manage to achieve with the written word. On the tails of a comment in one of my latest posts (SoKP) I come to you with this, for the simple act of demonstrating the illusion this medium allows all of us.
Dont be insulted. I know most of you out there are already quite aware of this, but there are some a select class of people Im guessing who hold the same talent f or clear, articulated verbosity in person as they demonstrate on this site that might assume that what they find on the page reflects the reality of the person doing the Writing. I am envious of these people. This belief clearly speaks of that talent, and I do not hold enough credentials to be eligible for membership in their club. I long ago stopped forcing full volumes of dry, fact-based information down my proverbial throat in the hopes that I could become one of the well-read those people who have the ability to pull out an undeniable and upper crust knowledge of most any topic and take the debate to a higher level whenever they see fit, eliminating, enthralling and sometimes angering the so-called 'common folk' they leave behind.
No, those people are a rare breed it seems, and their brains function in a manner Im sure Ill never possess. So I took the easy way out Writing. I mean, thats what its all about isnt it? Disambiguity. Giving the general public the idea that you know exactly what youre talking about, that youre an expert on whatever given subject youre covering and they have absolutely no reason to doubt you. From 1984 to Dr. Strangelove, its the same idea; from the petroglyphs to the first town-criers to the invention of the printing press in 1439, were simply here to give you what you want, help ease your minds and back your beliefs, even if its us who created those beliefs in the first place. You dont need to know that we really dont know what were talking about.
Im doing it right now. Ive never seen Dr. Strangelove and Ive only read the Coles Notes version of 1984 in grade ten. The date of the invention of the printing press I just looked up online two minutes ago, and who knows how reliable that is. Then again, I could be lying through my teeth maybe 1984s my favourite book, and I can quote Dr. Strangelove verbatim. Thats not the point. The point is making it sound believable. Like any good actor, Im seventeen feet tall on screen, or I dont exist at all. You may know my face but goddamit you forget when youre sitting in that seat, white-knuckled and dry-mouthed, waiting for the next line.
Maybe Im breaking the fourth wall doing this. Maybe a team of top-dog secret-op Media Men are going to kick down the door to my house and murder me in my sleep tonight, but somehow I doubt it. Until then, Im just gonna keep on making-believe.
http://www.Writingup.com/Blog/slipshoeswilliam
Author:: Kyle W. McMillan
Keywords:: article Writing,Blog,Blogging,Writing,Media,Journalism,Speaking,News
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
No comments:
Post a Comment