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Ever Fear of Sounding Ignorant?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Taly, Jul 7, 2015.

  1. Taly

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    eck, I feel like this sometimes. Sometimes when I post threads or post comments somewhere - period.

    Do you guys ever feel like you may come across as ignorant, or (for lack of a better tem) - stupid whenever you give your opinion and free-flowing thought about something?

    I mean, honestly, I don't think I'm ignorant when I let my voice be heard - I just sometimes feel as though I didn't grasp fully what someone was talking about. So whenever I say something, and it has a different tone and different idea than what the majority of people have... It just makes me wonder if I messed up or something. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

    lol, this is a silly feeling, I know. But have any of you guys felt this? When do you feel it? How do you deal with it?

    It doesn't really help that I'm a lot more vocal than what I was when I was younger. XDDD
     
    #1 Taly, Jul 7, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 7, 2015
  2. OfTheKokiri

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    This is me in everyday life. It was worse when I was younger. I was so afraid of sounding ignorant that I wouldn't give opinions and as a consequence I was/am quiet. I'm trying to improve by voicing my thoughts on subject that I feel at least reasonably knowledgeable enough.

    For the conversations that I don't understand or don't feel familiar with I'm now starting to ask questions. This allows me to engage in the conversation by being if ignorant at least willing to understand and learn.

    This has lead me to realize that lots of people sound like they know what their talking about but when questioned they can be as ignorant as you believe yourself to be.
     
  3. Jellal

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    Yeah, it's one of the reasons I tend to not speak up. I only talk about things I know, and I don't know much. There's a lot to learn in the world, but most of it is uninteresting to me.

    I guess it IS embarrassing how little I know about some things, but I seriously don't care. I remember this one time a friend of mine was talking about courtroom stuff like lawyers and plaintiffs and the jury and justice system how all that works, and I couldn't keep it straight. I still can't ... my mind immediately just writes the whole thing off as "boring and pretentious people sit in a room and try to dictate the fates of individuals, sometimes based off of insufficient, damning pseudo-evidence." And I leave it at that.
     
  4. Ashley2103

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  5. kageshiro

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    Everyone is ignorant on certain topics while they're knowledgeable on some which others are ignorant about. There's nothing to worry about, really ^_^ if you don't know that much about a topic but still have an opinion you want to voice, then just specify with "I'm not an expert, but this is what I think" or something like that.
     
  6. LesbianThrasher

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    Yeah, whenever I'm discussing something I look back and think that these people must think that I don't know anything. Whenever I say or write something I'm afraid of what the responses will be and it's really embarrassing to me because I'm afraid I said something wrong or stupid.
     
  7. Gandee

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    Yes, if I'm being honest with myself. Well, good thing I'm quite curious and people are more than eager to share what they know. Sometimes like Jellal, if things get too tedious, I just tune out :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
     
  8. Purp

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    I feel that people don't raise their own thoughts for fear of being labeled ignorant. I've come to accept that I'm ignorant but I'm always willing to learn so I tend to voice ignorance a lot. It helps me move forward. :slight_smile:
     
  9. Eveline

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    One way to cope is to stop being conclusive in your statements. If you write: As far as I know..." or "As I understand it" Instead of writing "The correct answer is..." then you are acknowledging the fact that you might be ignorant on the subject matter and avoiding the uncomfortable situation of saying something as if you know the answer when you don't really know it. This also makes it easier to back away from your original argument without losing face... in fact, people will see it as something positive, that you are willing to listen to others and learn from them.
     
  10. Taly

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    I mean, I do write those types of statements most of the time.

    It just doesn't completely alleviate the feeling everytime, however. For me, personally.
     
  11. mark

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    Always a constant fear. And with the amount of new people I'm meeting and befriending recently, and some of them are people I knew from high school or college who have come out as transgendered, it's a big fear that I'll get the correct pronoun wrong.

    Like, I've met people who are transgendered and I have no problem addressing them with the right gender pronoun, but if I knew you as one gender from long ago and now I have to learn to address you differently, I need time to re-learn. Sorry if I mess up, it's not intentional.
     
  12. Eveline

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    I think it is always important to remember that in many cases there are a large amount of different ways to see a topic which is one of the reasons why debating the topic is interesting. Often there is no correct answer and as such, anything you say has merit as long as you are able to logically argue your case. In general, you developed a certain perspective for a reason and your objective should usually be to try and explain how the opionion came into being which will help others to understand where you are coming from. People usually appreciate different points of view and would prefer to read something new to just a copy of what was said 10 times before.

    When there is only one correct answer and you aren't sure that you know it. Either don't answer or google your answer and see if you are really correct.

    ---------- Post added 8th Jul 2015 at 07:56 AM ----------

    Just to be clear, as I never really fear coming off as ignorant, I'm trying to explain why... once you view your post as just one possible way to answer the question and you recognize the fact that your reply will technically always be ignorant because you will never be able to express all the different ways through which the subject can be perceived. If someone does perceive you as being ignorant it usually says more about them being flosed minded than it does about you.

    ---------- Post added 8th Jul 2015 at 08:01 AM ----------

    On the other hand, I do fear sounding arrogant! :lol:

    Sorry, I'm a bit tired... :icon_redf
     
  13. Van

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    Yes! But as long as we're willing to learn and get more informed on certain subjects, it should be fine. No person knows everything, right? What's important is our willingness to listen, read and learn.
     
  14. DanDan

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    Yes, although I still stand by a lot of what I believe in. I like to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brain falls out.
     
  15. Lawrence

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    A little, especially because sometimes I talk before I think. Yes, I've said a lot of stupid things, and I've also learned from putting my foot in my mouth. I think it's more important that you're prepared to apologise.

    Every few months, I look back and think "Wow, I was such an idiot." However, that means progress is being made. And when I say "idiot" there, I really mean something to do with "ignorant."

    I'm more concerned about causing confusion with my lack of precision.

    If I'm not careful, I sound like a retarded poet. I even use words such as "accursed" >_> Great for drama. Terrible for casual conservation and/or serious discussion.

    Generally, people don't want to feel as if they're navigating a labyrinth, when they're trying to understand what you're saying!
     
  16. Ardi

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    Yeah, this is pretty much why I'm quiet and don't speak up in many situations. I'm afraid that someone is going to call me out on what I have said and ridicule me; this applies to both online and offline situations.

    This is especially going to be a problem since I'm going off to college and all, but I guess I'll just have to try and push myself a little. ^^;
     
  17. biAnnika

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    My experience is that you either are ignorant regarding a particular topic or you are not. And generally, which of these is the case will become apparent...and trying to shroud ignorance in sophistimacated language, is one of the quickest ways to make it apparent.

    In a nutshell, if you don't know what you're talking about, or have nothing of use to say, then there is no way to phrase or couch your speech that will make you sound intelligent or sophisticated; and if you do know what you're talking about, and have something useful to add, nobody cares if you don't express it perfectly...it's useful in and of itself...but trying to dress it up *can* make you look foolish and possibly undermine your point.
     
  18. Eveline

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    I suspect that even if you know what you are talking about, people still dislike when you try to sound overly intelligent and sophisticated as it can come off as condescending... :confused:

    In the end, what probably matters most is that you don't write in an abrasive and hostile manner. If you are polite, people will usually respond in kind unless you make judgments about others or say something insulting. In my experience, people tend to be more focused on how they themselves are perceived and when we feel that others are constantly judging us it is often just a perceptual illusion caused by our own tendency to place ourselves as the center of the world. :slight_smile:
     
  19. Christiaan

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    Yeah, but you will never do anything worth doing if you aren't willing to make an ass of yourself. I also dance when there is music playing. Badly, but others soon join me as some noble effort to draw attention from me. Sure, I make an ass of myself often enough and sometimes an offensive ass. I also make friends.
     
  20. Kaiser

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    i dnt gve n0 fukz wht peepz b tinkin bout mah way 0f typin cuz dey n0t sm4rtz nuff to kno wht i be sayin yo.... ............... .................................... n i aint ignurunt..........just 2 real 4 ya......... ...... .. ...fuk bitchez gt mon3y....................