[thundergolfer]

Writing that is aimed at the truth should be written to best convey it. But truth is not the only aim of writing, and it's most often not the primary aim.

Truth is also not the aim of these:

> Suits for interviews. Combed hair for dates. Makeup to feel prettier.

The latter is for the pursuit of beauty. The first is because the almighty British empire started wearing suits and we all followed.

Wearing a grubby t-shirt to a job is not because you value truth so much. It's failing to value the other things.

The lads on the Manhattan project almost surely dressed better than a truth-loving rationalist.

[Animats]

> Suits for interviews. Combed hair for dates. Makeup to feel prettier.

Today, a really big microphone on Youtube.

[mapontosevenths]

I agree with everything thundergolfer says, but I would further like to add that even when the goal actually is truth it is often better expressed by allegory or analogy. All of the greatest teachers in human history have understood and used this to their advantage.

However, we have a growing problem in the world now. Our declining attention spans are killing reading, and with it reading comprehension. I regularly see otherwise intelligent people struggle to understand even high school level writing. Everything has to be explicitly stated now, and even then it's often not understood.

Fifty three percent of Americans read below the sixth grade level now, and for those TikTok people subtext does not exist. That does not mean that subtext isn't real or valuable.

If 53% of the world gave themselves intentional color-blindness we wouldn't talk about how little value color adds to painting, we would worry about those who'd forgotten how to perceive it and think of ways we might grant them the ability to perceive the world they'd gone blind to.

[chvgchvg]

Yeah, its truly saddening to see the declining literacy rates. I feel like lots of social media, today, is creating a stupidification effect on people.

[SanjayMehta]

The English language is the best language for playing politics.

With a multiple ways to imply assent or dissent, while committing to nothing at all, it was an even sharper tool to divide-and-rule.

[chvgchvg]

Straight up 1984 newspeak. Words hold two opposing meanings at once, and because of that, do they really mean anything?