thecel
narrow-orbits brachy-skull ogre
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- May 16, 2020
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“Water is wet” is a common PSL saying that’s said in response to statements that one considers to be obvious, common knowledge, or needless to say. An example of “water is wet”’s usage: a PSLer can reply “water is wet” to another PSLer’s post that says looks matter to women. “Water is wet” is frequently shortened to just “water” and is sometimes paired with a picture (often a GIF) of water.
If you already knew what “water is wet” means, you could say “water is wet” about the previous paragraph.
This ever-popular PSL phrase has a huge problem: it’s a controversial statement itself.
If you wanted to use a phrase to convey “that’s obvious, bro”, the phrase would need to be both 100% agreeable and 100% obvious to everyone. For example, “1 plus 1 equals 2” works, but “The Airbus A380 cruises at Mach 0.85” doesn’t work. Why? Because the aircraft’s cruising speed isn’t obvious. “People stop being alive when they die” works, but “Trans women are women” doesn’t work. Why? Because many people disagree with the statement “Trans women are women.”
In order for a phrase to be a sensible substitute for “dude, that’s obvious”, it has to be something that everyone knows and everyone agrees with. Such as “The Sun emits light.” “Water is wet” is a poor substitute for “that’s obvious” because “water is wet” is contentious. Not everyone believes water is wet. Several years ago, the Internet had a big disagreement about it. Lots of people said water is NOT wet. Lots of people said water is wet. They disagreed.
I never even heard of the phrase “water is wet” until people online were arguing over it. It’s not a phrase that people frequently use in everyday conversations; many people, like me, had their 1st exposures to the saying when they read/watched online debates on it. “Water is wet” is famous only for being a controversial statement, a subject of debate, and a point of contention. “Water is wet” is not a truism. Which is why it baffles me seeing so many PSL members spamming the catchphrase as if it’s a truism and as if everyone is supposed to ignore that fact that it’s the literal embodiment of controversy. Since online disagreements were the 1st time I’ve seen/heard “water is wet”, it’s impossible for me to view the statement as the clear manifestation of utter obviousness that other PSLers see it as.
“Water is wet” is the most retardedly-used popular phrase in all of PSL’s wonderful vernacular. Its usage in PSL communities is idiotic because “Is water wet?” is a famous “normie point of contention” like “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” and “Are hot dogs sandwiches?”. It makes zero sense to use a “normie point of contention” as a substitute for “That’s obvious, bro.”
@Octillionaire @8PSLcel
If you already knew what “water is wet” means, you could say “water is wet” about the previous paragraph.
This ever-popular PSL phrase has a huge problem: it’s a controversial statement itself.
If you wanted to use a phrase to convey “that’s obvious, bro”, the phrase would need to be both 100% agreeable and 100% obvious to everyone. For example, “1 plus 1 equals 2” works, but “The Airbus A380 cruises at Mach 0.85” doesn’t work. Why? Because the aircraft’s cruising speed isn’t obvious. “People stop being alive when they die” works, but “Trans women are women” doesn’t work. Why? Because many people disagree with the statement “Trans women are women.”
In order for a phrase to be a sensible substitute for “dude, that’s obvious”, it has to be something that everyone knows and everyone agrees with. Such as “The Sun emits light.” “Water is wet” is a poor substitute for “that’s obvious” because “water is wet” is contentious. Not everyone believes water is wet. Several years ago, the Internet had a big disagreement about it. Lots of people said water is NOT wet. Lots of people said water is wet. They disagreed.
I never even heard of the phrase “water is wet” until people online were arguing over it. It’s not a phrase that people frequently use in everyday conversations; many people, like me, had their 1st exposures to the saying when they read/watched online debates on it. “Water is wet” is famous only for being a controversial statement, a subject of debate, and a point of contention. “Water is wet” is not a truism. Which is why it baffles me seeing so many PSL members spamming the catchphrase as if it’s a truism and as if everyone is supposed to ignore that fact that it’s the literal embodiment of controversy. Since online disagreements were the 1st time I’ve seen/heard “water is wet”, it’s impossible for me to view the statement as the clear manifestation of utter obviousness that other PSLers see it as.
“Water is wet” is the most retardedly-used popular phrase in all of PSL’s wonderful vernacular. Its usage in PSL communities is idiotic because “Is water wet?” is a famous “normie point of contention” like “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” and “Are hot dogs sandwiches?”. It makes zero sense to use a “normie point of contention” as a substitute for “That’s obvious, bro.”
@Octillionaire @8PSLcel
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