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Such lines are usually followed by the opposite view.. Not a fan of X, but <something good about X> Don't mean to be rude but <something actually rude> I'm n

by mvpu 10y ago

Such lines are usually followed by the opposite view.. Not a fan of X, but <something good about X> Don't mean to be rude but <something actually rude> I'm not saying X is right but <something right about X> This is internal noise that the writer spills out. There's no need to write these things. Here's the kicker: I think it will rain tomorrow. The I think is unnecessary, you're saying it because you're thinking.

foota 10y ago
I think it's because the person is emphasizing that they view something in a positive light in spite of a generally negative opinion of the entity doing the thing. I say "I think" to emphasise that something is my opinion in contrast to a fact read somewhere.
jstimpfle 10y ago
Nah, sorry. Too much black-and-white thinking. The "I think" is not unnecessary in general. There are definitely situations where it makes clear on what grounds a conclusion is drawn. Just like the original statement: "Not a fan of twitter, but..." might be seen as a side-note and unimportant to the main point, but it certainly adds information.
SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
"I think" is a modifier on certainty the way it's normally used, not merely redundant information (as the literal reading suggests). It is generally used when the person isn't certain. Similarly, all of the phrases you mentiom carry information about how the comment should be interpreted. Not a fan of X: I'm generally biased against X, so my opinion they did well here carries extra inferential weight. Don't mean to be rude: I don't know how to say this politely and request that you "iron man" the question or statement. There are arguments about if you truly need to say such things, but I'm generally on the side that rudeness is better than censorship. I'm not claiming X is right: I explicitly disclaim a typical inference one would draw from making an argument that something about X is correct. What you see as "noise" are inclusions of internal probabilistic weights, parse requests, other meta-comments, etc.
ahallock 10y ago
It's because of political tribalism. They want to appear impartial while still maintaining they're part of tribe X.

by mvpu 10y ago

foota 10y ago

I think it's because the person is emphasizing that they view something in a positive light in spite of a generally negative opinion of the entity doing the thing. I say "I think" to emphasise that something is my opinion in contrast to a fact read somewhere.

jstimpfle 10y ago

Nah, sorry. Too much black-and-white thinking. The "I think" is not unnecessary in general. There are definitely situations where it makes clear on what grounds a conclusion is drawn. Just like the original statement: "Not a fan of twitter, but..." might be seen as a side-note and unimportant to the main point, but it certainly adds information.

SomeStupidPoint 10y ago

"I think" is a modifier on certainty the way it's normally used, not merely redundant information (as the literal reading suggests). It is generally used when the person isn't certain. Similarly, all of the phrases you mentiom carry information about how the comment should be interpreted. Not a fan of X: I'm generally biased against X, so my opinion they did well here carries extra inferential weight. Don't mean to be rude: I don't know how to say this politely and request that you "iron man" the question or statement. There are arguments about if you truly need to say such things, but I'm generally on the side that rudeness is better than censorship. I'm not claiming X is right: I explicitly disclaim a typical inference one would draw from making an argument that something about X is correct. What you see as "noise" are inclusions of internal probabilistic weights, parse requests, other meta-comments, etc.

ahallock 10y ago

It's because of political tribalism. They want to appear impartial while still maintaining they're part of tribe X.