The Sokal Affair

CJisinShape
CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
edited November 18 in Chit-Chat
Do you ever wonder when someone is speaking in big lofty words that go over your head if they actually know what they're talking about?

Turns out, some of them don't. A physicist set out to prove that academics would accept complete gibberish if the words were lofty enough and leaned far enough to the left, politically. So he submitted a paper to an academic journal full of jargon that made no sense whatsoever and guess what? They published it. The resulting scandal is called the Sokal Affair.

So, the next time someone tries to sell you something, (a diet, a car, an idea), ask them to explain what they are talking about in plain language.

Do you have a colleague/fitness friend/ politico/ salesman that speaks in jargon? What were the weirdest terms they used?

Replies

  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    I once called out a businessman who was going all businessspeak on me. I said, "I know what all those words mean individually, but they make no sense strung together in that sentence." He laughed and admitted he was blowing smoke and it usually worked to impress people.
  • rushfive
    rushfive Posts: 603 Member
    CJisinShape wrote: »
    Do you ever wonder when someone is speaking in big lofty words that go over your head if they actually know what they're talking about?

    Turns out, some of them don't. A physicist set out to prove that academics would accept complete gibberish if the words were lofty enough and leaned far enough to the left, politically. So he submitted a paper to an academic journal full of jargon that made no sense whatsoever and guess what? They published it. The resulting scandal is called the Sokal Affair.

    So, the next time someone tries to sell you something, (a diet, a car, an idea), ask them to explain what they are talking about in plain language.

    Do you have a colleague/fitness friend/ politico/ salesman that speaks in jargon? What were the weirdest terms they used?

    THIS ONE,
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    clnrush wrote: »
    CJisinShape wrote: »
    Do you ever wonder when someone is speaking in big lofty words that go over your head if they actually know what they're talking about?

    Turns out, some of them don't. A physicist set out to prove that academics would accept complete gibberish if the words were lofty enough and leaned far enough to the left, politically. So he submitted a paper to an academic journal full of jargon that made no sense whatsoever and guess what? They published it. The resulting scandal is called the Sokal Affair.

    So, the next time someone tries to sell you something, (a diet, a car, an idea), ask them to explain what they are talking about in plain language.

    Do you have a colleague/fitness friend/ politico/ salesman that speaks in jargon? What were the weirdest terms they used?

    THIS ONE,

    Well aren't you cute?

    :D
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I work at a college...yeah. My job is to help these high level, big word thinkers break concepts and communicators down to every day language that people can relate to. Tis a daunting task.
  • jaatree
    jaatree Posts: 1,967 Member
    Deal with it day in day out mate!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    leut_underpants wrote: »
    I'm just here to take off my shirt.

    You named yourself leut_underpants. What else would you be here for?
  • no_pink_skirts
    no_pink_skirts Posts: 914 Member
    What journal was this in? Was the sample size n=1? I think it would be more interesting if they submitted it to several journals to see how many accept it(but maybe that's what happened?).
  • davesgalforever
    davesgalforever Posts: 220 Member
    leut_underpants wrote: »
    CJisinShape wrote: »
    leut_underpants wrote: »
    I'm just here to take off my shirt.

    You named yourself leut_underpants. What else would you be here for?

    To spout my contrarian views on the deleterious effects resulting from the over consumption of creme appointed baked merchandise. Said merchandise being a not cleverly concealed ruse on the anatomical properties of the male of the human species, up to and including superficial statistical analysis and concluding with the consumption of, and possible resulting sickness from the ejaculatory payload, presumptively by but not necessarily limited to the female of the aforementioned species. :flowerforyou:

    Lmao! Cute
  • no_pink_skirts
    no_pink_skirts Posts: 914 Member
    xsgnoclbtckg.png

    This is how I feel about science! We're not all here to guess how tiny someone's ding dong is (idiot!). :p
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    leut_underpants wrote: »
    CJisinShape wrote: »
    leut_underpants wrote: »
    I'm just here to take off my shirt.

    You named yourself leut_underpants. What else would you be here for?

    To spout my contrarian views on the deleterious effects resulting from the over consumption of creme appointed baked merchandise. Said merchandise being a not cleverly concealed ruse on the anatomical properties of the male of the human species, up to and including superficial statistical analysis and concluding with the consumption of, and possible resulting sickness from the ejaculatory payload, presumptively by but not necessarily limited to the female of the aforementioned species. :flowerforyou:

    It was going so well until "payload." Well, good effort.
  • LouLouStBijou
    LouLouStBijou Posts: 987 Member
    I work with a bunch of lawyers (also married to one so don't start the slagging just yet) and when they are get going on a topic in a meeting or whatever they all just talk around it....all the time...it's as though they think that the guy who says the most words multi syllable words automatically wins.
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    LouisaM162 wrote: »
    I work with a bunch of lawyers (also married to one so don't start the slagging just yet) and when they are get going on a topic in a meeting or whatever they all just talk around it....all the time...it's as though they think that the guy who says the most words multi syllable words automatically wins.

    Well, leut_underpants, I may have been hasty on the payload comment - I think we just hit one here. Lawyer speak is one of the most egregious examples of this (see what I did there;-).

    Louisa, how many times do you hear the terms "henceforth, the afore mentioned, and therein" from these guys?


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