You are Confused!

I am increasingly amused, as I read scholarship, how often people portray opposing scholars as "confused." I'm sure the so-called "confused" scholar would say the same thing right back. Calling someone else "confused" does not seem very professional to me. Why can't we just disagree in our interpretations without calling someone else confused?

Comments

Ken Schenck said…
But I am confused! I think. No wait, I'm not sure.
July 30, 2009 at 8:30 PM
Jaeda Calaway said…
It is one thing to admit self-confusion...and I think such an admission should be required among Hebrews scholars (does anyone really understand this document?)...but it is quite another to claim that people who disagree with you are confused--that is simply condescending.

It is actually reading Hebrews scholarship that I am finding the "everyone else is confused but me" statements. But I'm not going to name names.
July 30, 2009 at 9:03 PM
Liam said…
It's really a euphemism. It really means "Prof. So-and-so is a d**k."
July 31, 2009 at 6:03 PM
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