Calling out without naming

This is a photo of a particular tree, but I don’t know which one. (Image by Hans)

I’d like to tell you about a specific episode of podcast that offered a perfect example of the way a lot of modern experts share information without actually teaching anything.

In fact, I’ve collected many examples of this kind of thing that I want to share and publicly deconstruct.

However, I am still figuring out how to do that without being a sanctimonious jerk.

Telling you exactly which podcast episode I’m referencing seems unnecessarily mean, especially if we assume goodwill on the part of the creator and believe that they were genuinely trying to be helpful.

However, if I divorce the podcast episode from its context and the specific details, my attempt to deconstruct what remains wouldn’t make much sense. What’s more, I’d risk straw-manning, fighting against a distorted or invented claim.

So far, my approach to solving this problem has been to watch, wait, and keep writing. If one swallow doesn’t make a summer, it’s not worth trying to mount an argument against one thing somebody said that I didn’t agree with. If something becomes a trend, it will much easier to talk about because then I would be able to offer plenty of genericized examples.

In the meantime, my own ability to understand and express complex ideas is improving, as is my understanding of the fields I’m working in. That makes it easier to present ideas and information clearly. Instead of positioning my own ideas against those of a supposed incumbent, I can just start at the beginning and teach what I know.

While the other person’s ideas might trigger an “aha” moment for me, I have no obligation to tell the story of that aha moment in my work.

It looks like this is evolving into a set of guidelines for me. I never want to punch down, and if I do any punching at all, I want to be kind. I don’t want to name names unless I have a reason for doing so.

And even if I’m being critical of someone’s ideas, I want to be compassionate and kind. I don’t want to criticize them as a person.

As my status rises and my platform expands, people who I used to look up to become peers, and I’m seeing that this process can happen a lot faster than I had thought. What I believe to be punching up could actually be punching down before I know it.

There’s no reason for me to go on the defensive anyway. So much of what I want to teach has come from thinking of myself as an underdog, trying to figure out what’s true in a maze of conflicting opinions. But that self-concept does not fit anymore, and it’s important for me to recognize that. It’s all too easy for a former underdog to become a bully without realizing.

So I will be brave enough to call out the issues that I see when I feel a true responsibility to do so. I’ll name names when necessary. But most of the time, it won’t be. I can build a body of work that I can be proud of without involving others directly or picking a fight with something I don’t like.

I don’t have to say why others are wrong to contribute something of value in my industry. There’s room for everyone, and I don’t have to push against anyone or anything in order to find my place.