Posts that promise 'Everything'.

December 26, 2001 12:20 PM

There's nothing technically wrong with it, but how about fewer posts which promise grandiose unified political or social field theory or promise to upset your preconceptions about some subject? Explaining "everything" is admirable, but let the readers decide for themselves whether the world has just been bouleversé. (examples inside).
posted by ParisParamus to etiquette/policy at 12:20 PM (9 comments total)

?
posted by tamim at 12:26 PM on December 26, 2001

Without any offense to specific FP posters, here's some examples of language exemplifying what I'm talking about.

"You may never be able to look at the coverage of S-11 and its post-impact coverage the same way, ever again"

"..., because this picture pretty much sums up everything thats gone wrong with modern journalism (and does so without even so much as a caption)."

Boys and girls: understatement/low expectations is a much more powerful rhetorical device. : )

posted by ParisParamus at 12:28 PM on December 26, 2001

I agree this does seem to have been a trend recently, Paris. But while I'm no expert in rhetoric myself, I see this kind of language as similar to that used in newspaper headlines - a sweeping, preconception busting, world rocking statement that will spark your interest to read the article (which unfortunately often turns out to be a lot duller read than sub-editor's perky headline). Could you perhaps give an example of how these FPP's could be rephrased to better effect?
posted by dlewis at 12:46 PM on December 26, 2001

This MeTa thread will change the way you post...FOREVER!

Er, sorry. Couldn't resist. Yes, hyperbole is silly. Those prone to it are probably going to stay that way; nonetheless, decent advice.
posted by frykitty at 12:49 PM on December 26, 2001

dlewis: I would just delete the phrases; what's left of the intro usually stands on its own.

P.S.: I thank my BU writing professors for programming me with the reflexes to be annoyed at such things.
posted by ParisParamus at 12:51 PM on December 26, 2001

BU implant = reflexive annoyance?
Praise be.
posted by Opus Dark at 2:59 PM on December 26, 2001

learning to write from good teachers can be a most demoralizing process. But it's not like Scientology. Although said institution did take lots of my money; and I'm still not sure how they did it.
posted by ParisParamus at 3:09 PM on December 26, 2001

Silber's got a money vacuum where his right hand should be.
posted by solistrato at 4:17 PM on December 26, 2001

First, that's mean. Second, he's no longer in control. Fellow alum?
posted by ParisParamus at 6:00 PM on December 26, 2001