Just Say It!

For some time now, a verbal disease has been spreading through the diction of Harvard’s undergrads. Instead of the reasoned, eloquent, SAT-word-enriched speech one would expect to find in America’s most prestigious institution of post-secondary education, a type of indiscreet, absent-minded, and otherwise unintelligent sounding disclaimer is infiltrating every section on campus. It is high time that something is said about it.

I’m referring to supposedly heartfelt “feelings” about things like derivatives (“I feel like the derivative has to do with rate of change”),— the sharing of emotions generated by the proper drawing of a Lewis-dot diagram (“I feel like there’s a double bond between the carbons”), and worst of all, rousing concern with regard to another student’s impressions (“I feel like what he/she said is wrong”).

The problem is, these really aren’t your feelings, they are your thoughts and—assuming you have some of your own—you should advertise them as such. After all, it is our thoughts that are valued as academics, not our emotions. The pervasive “I feel like” preface has got to go.

Admittedly, there are hypothetical situations in which your feelings might be worth sharing. Occasionally, a TF might ask for some personal responses about the value of assigned readings to gauge whether or not they should be included in the syllabus next year. These are, in a sense, feelings rather than thoughts as you don’t actually know the effectiveness of the readings. But I feel like that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

Why have people adopted this habit of prefacing everything they say with a proclamation of emotion? Is it because we are so afraid of being able to back up our own logical conclusions that, out of fear of being proven wrong, we have to say we are expressing a feeling? It’s true, we have a much more difficult time arguing with someone who has “a feeling” than someone who has stepped out on a limb and contributed his own insights.

Or maybe you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you are so naturally brilliant that you don’t do the readings, you don’t go to lecture, and you just go to section to make sure that your gut instincts are still right on the money. If this is the case, I’m sorry—you can continue saying “I feel like.”

For the rest of us middling intellects, however, the time has come to broaden our verbal horizons. Try saying “I think,” “it appears,” or if you really have to, just say “it seems to me.” If all else fails, and you feel compelled, you can tell everyone that you’re expressing an opinion. But unless your TF has asked you for your personal feelings on the matter, don’t share them. I feel like I’d rather hear what you think.

Brendan D.B. Hodge ’07, a Crimson editorial comper, is a government concentrator in Cabot House.