On Tuesday before the second presidential debate took place, Jimmy Kimmel’s crew asked people on the street what they thought of “last night’s debate” – a debate which did not take place. And they answered, in great detail:
My work focuses on insights to be found across transgender sociology, public health, psychiatry, history of medicine, cognitive science, the social processes of science, transgender feminism, and human rights, taking an analytic approach that intersects these many perspectives and is guided by the lived experiences of transgender people. I live in Orlando with my family, and work mainly in technical writing.
{advertisement}
8 thoughts on “Watch in amazement as people make things up out of thin air!”
Well, America has seen how Romney seems to get away with making up political facts out of thin air, so why shouldn’t they be able to get away with the same thing?
I see “person on the street” interviews as improv. A tv crew has authority. An interviewee has a notion of what is expected of them in this situation. That makes it easier to play along. Some people are better at it and the boring ones are edited out.
Some of these people might just be making the assumption that the interviewer means “the last presidential-ish debate you saw and feel free to include your general impressions so far and what you and your friends think.” Others may be confabulating a debate the night before and just inserting their general opinion on the whole election process so far.
Because that is just how language works. No one answers “How are you?” with how they genuinely feel at that moment. Everyone knows (except for high functioning autistics and sociopaths I guess) that the last thing you are suppose to do is say how you actually feel. Saying how you really feel is always a faux pas because the person asking you how you feel does *not* want to know.
[…] "What did you think of last night's debate?" Hilarity ensues as people make one up http://freethoughtblogs.com/zinniajones/2012/10/watch-in-amazement-as-people-make-things-up-out-of-t… Embedded Link Watch in amazement as people make things up out of thin air! | Zinnia Jones Some of […]
Well, America has seen how Romney seems to get away with making up political facts out of thin air, so why shouldn’t they be able to get away with the same thing?
Tomorrow night’s debate was even better.
I see “person on the street” interviews as improv. A tv crew has authority. An interviewee has a notion of what is expected of them in this situation. That makes it easier to play along. Some people are better at it and the boring ones are edited out.
Equally amazing: Jimmy Kimmel involved with something mildly interesting and maybe even funny.
Some of these people might just be making the assumption that the interviewer means “the last presidential-ish debate you saw and feel free to include your general impressions so far and what you and your friends think.” Others may be confabulating a debate the night before and just inserting their general opinion on the whole election process so far.
Because that is just how language works. No one answers “How are you?” with how they genuinely feel at that moment. Everyone knows (except for high functioning autistics and sociopaths I guess) that the last thing you are suppose to do is say how you actually feel. Saying how you really feel is always a faux pas because the person asking you how you feel does *not* want to know.
Reality is a social construct.
That was funny indeed. Thanks, Zinnia!
[…] "What did you think of last night's debate?" Hilarity ensues as people make one up http://freethoughtblogs.com/zinniajones/2012/10/watch-in-amazement-as-people-make-things-up-out-of-t… Embedded Link Watch in amazement as people make things up out of thin air! | Zinnia Jones Some of […]
You couldn’t make it up! Oh, wait…