myself into a walking, talking smoke machine.

The twaddle tendency is especially rife in sport. Breathless interviewers push

equally breathless football players to break down the components of the game,
when all they want to say is: ‘We lost the game – it’s really that simple.’ But the
presenter has to fill airtime somehow – and seemingly the best method is by
jabbering away and by compelling the athletes and coaches to join in. Jabber
disguises ignorance.

This phenomenon has also taken root in the academic spheres. The fewer
results a branch of science publishes, the more babble is necessary. Particularly
exposed are economists, which can be seen in their comments and economic
forecasts. The same is true for commerce on a smaller scale: the worse-off a
company is, the greater the talk of the CEO. The extra chatter extends to not just a
lot of talking, but to hyperactivity, also designed to mask the hardship. A laudable
exception is the former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch. He once said in an
interview: ‘You would not believe how difficult it is to be simple and clear. People
are afraid that they may be seen as a simpleton. In reality, just the opposite is
true.’

In conclusion: verbal expression is the mirror of the mind. Clear thoughts

become clear statements, whereas ambiguous ideas transform into vacant
ramblings. The trouble is that, in many cases, we lack very lucid thoughts. The
world is complicated, and it takes a great deal of mental effort to understand even
one facet of the whole. Until you experience such an epiphany, it’s better to heed
Mark Twain: ‘If you have nothing to say, say nothing.’ Simplicity is the zenith of a
long, arduous journey, not the starting point.
See also Authority Bias (ch.9); Domain Dependence (ch. 76); Chauffeur Knowledge (ch.
16)