Preston Xanthopoulos: A vow to remember speaking without thought is not speaking the truth
“It’s a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.”
That’s a line from the newly released movie, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” spoken by Daniel Craig’s character, Detective Benoit Blanc. Even if you haven’t watched the film yet, you’ve probably heard the line, because people are talking about it everywhere.
While the reviews on the movie are mixed, I liked it. It was entertaining and not too serious, unless you want to read more into it than I think it warrants. I will say, that line above, immediately jumped out at me and I grabbed a pen and wrote it down — not knowing that just a few days later, it would be repeated everywhere online.
Now, some people seem to think the entire movie, based around the actions of a tech billionaire, is about new Twitter owner, Elon Musk. Well, since Elon purchased Twitter in October, and didn’t even start talking about it until last spring, and the film was filmed in the summer of 2021 and clearly written before that, it’s not about Musk — the timeline doesn’t add up. I find irony in the fact people are promoting the movie and the quote, while slamming Elon Musk as the inspiration, when the quote itself is saying “think before you speak." That’s what my grandmother used to say to me. It may not be as poetic as Daniel Craig’s line, but it's quite direct and the message is clear.
In an interview with the writer/director, he explains the lead character isn't about Elon Musk, but about an unspecific collection of billionaires and he seems pleasantly surprised by the timeliness of the movie's release in light of current Elon Musk news. Apparently, it's gotten the film even more attention, albeit for inaccurate reasons.
But, the newly famous quote was certainly timely, even when it was written. It always has been a timely concept, hence my grandmother sharing the pared-down version of it with me decades ago. But, with the internet, it may be important to remind people of the once universally accepted social agreement, “think before you speak,” with the added note, that just because someone says something directly, doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
We are in a place where, if someone you like says something, you take it as fact … as truth. Yes, Donald Trump is an obvious example here. Election results, a virus, whatever the topic, for many, if former President Trump said or says it, it is fact. When he calls people names or spews nastiness, as he did in this year's “Christmas Message,” people defend him, noting people are upset because he speaks the “truth.” However, "truth" is a point of fact, not an opinion.
That’s what bugs me about the current trend of terming things, “his truth,” “her truth,” or “my truth.” There aren’t different “truths" based on the speaker. It either is or it isn't a fact.
“It’s a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.”
Just because someone says something loudly — and that audio volume can be created by the sheer volume of people who share the same thought on social media, for instance — doesn’t make it real. Donald Trump isn't the only example. Remember that meme going around in 2020 when Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19? It quoted him as saying, "The doctors said they've never seen a body kill the coronavirus like my body.” It went viral and was shared by so many that multiple news organizations had to do stories on the fact it was never said. But, those who wanted to believe Trump said such nonsense, didn’t bother "thinking before you speak" and kept it going, because it fit their narrative. It fit "their truth.” That’s the problem with making "truth" a possessive.
To Detective Blanc’s point, it is dangerous. How many people have physically attacked others, because they believe lies? It’s not just January 6th, but, that’s a doozy. People believe there is no consequence for their words, but there are, even in the form of another person being motivated to act violently toward a third party.
But, the dangers aren’t always quite that obvious, nor is truth versus speaking without thought. Remember when Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to a $35,000 per ticket event at the Met in New York City wearing a dress emblazoned with “Tax the Rich”? That’s not a truth versus opinion thing, but it is a hypocritical “without thought” thing. But, that’s not the dangerous part. Her response to the backlash was: “Our culture is deeply disdainful and unsupportive of women, especially women of color and working-class women (and LGBTQ/immigrant/etc.) from the bottom up.” She did something hypocritical and, rather than acknowledge or explain it, she accused hundreds of thousands of Americans of being hateful bigots? Yes, that is dangerous. It is without thought. It is not even close to “truth.”
So, because I am sure I have been guilty of not always “thinking before I speak,” for the New Year, one of my many resolutions for 2023 will be to not, “mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.” Because, it is dangerous to do so. Besides, I need to pick one resolution I can actually stick to and “becoming a size 4” is probably not realistic.
Happy New Year, Truth Seekers!
Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos is a political consultant and member of the media. She’s a native of Hampton Beach where she lives with her family and three poodles. Write to her at PrestonPerspective@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Preston Xanthopoulos: A vow to think before speaking in 2023
