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"Can't" there was presumably meant as an ethical or moral statement, or as an imperative, not as a description of possibility. In the same way that "must" can
by drdeca 8y ago
"Can't" there was presumably meant as an ethical or moral statement, or as an imperative, not as a description of possibility.
In the same way that "must" can either mean that something is inevitable, or mean that it is imperative.
- beat 8y agoI'll freely admit I'm loud about it because people saying "can't" to mean "won't" or "shouldn't" is a pet peeve of mine. It's misusing language to elevate personal decisions to logical imperatives ("I'm sorry, I can't come to your party"), or moral grey areas to moral black and white ("Facebook can't sell your data to other corporations!"). It's misleading and it shouldn't be used that way. Can't be used that way, even...
- AndrewSChapman 8y agoMeh, using shouldn't wouldn't have the same rhetorical impact. It's similar to the phrase "Can't complain.". Sure you could say "Shouldn't complain".. but it doesn't work.