People start out naively in life. For example, kids will think that interviewees in TV talk shows present themselves just as they are. Then people learn this is not so. But some people, having problems with nuances, will embrace the opposite view and tell you that everything on TV is fake; a statement presenting this view will often be accompanied by a call on others not to be so naive! One might call this worldview naive anti-naivety. But this view, of course, is wrong. Not everything on TV is fake. Not all medical trials are doctored.* And so forth.
By the same token, it is perfectly fine to say about a work of art that "my six-year-old could have done that!"
*Question: What do you say when you actually did not intend a pun?
Nothing as Useful as a Bad Theory
4 years ago
1 comment:
I've thought about this too. I like to call it "naive cynicism."
For instance, there are people who will press you for evidence for your assertions, then, if you cite something from a respected newspaper like the New York Times, will say, "You can't believe anything you read in the mainstream press!" I also know someone who doesn't believe the world is round -- when I pointed out that we have photos to prove it, he said, "But those are from the government," meaning that you can't trust any government-provided information because there could be a government conspiracy.
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