There are patterns in language.
Some of those patterns are more persuasive than others.
And some of those patterns will be more persuasive with you than the others are.
I know what pattern works best to influence me: folksy ways people play around with sentence structure.
Things like:
“We didn’t come this far just to come this far.”
And when discussing the womanising misanthrope Ian Fleming, “He got off with women because he couldn’t get on with women.”
You can’t use this against me because it’s a known weakness, so I’m prepared. That’s why I’m smarter than Batman. If you follow DC superheroes, you might know of Batman’s secret file on how to disable each of the Justice League’s members.
They’re his allies, but he still came up with contingencies for if they ever went rogue.
My favourite is giving Green Lantern a post-hypnotic suggestion rendering him blind. Since he can manifest his will, turn that will against him.
My least favourite is using kryptonite against Superman. Superman knows this weakness. He probably spends hours reflecting on it.
It doesn’t matter how vulnerable it makes him if he knows it makes him vulnerable.
That’s why Superman’s actual weakness is Lois Lane. It’s less obvious and just as debilitating, so it’s the better weakness to exploit.
And that’s why if you come at me with some cutesy language games, I’ll spot it. If you’re not discreet with this, it loses all power – and can even backfire.
So come at me.
I say all this because there’s a folksy saying that plays around with language like this. I used to think it was wise and profound.
Now I realise it’s just nihilistic nonsense.
I analyse how and why it’s wrong in issue #2 of Reignite the West: