A tautology is a statement in which an identified term is then defined by the same term. Tautologies often appear as if it holding an undeniable logic, but their vagaries can offer a problematic quality to argumentation. The most common example we currently hear is, “It is what it is.” This sentence implies that whatever “it is” is unavoidable or unchangeable, and it offers an almost exasperated intonation. One tautology I use often is, “People are people.” This sentence, at least when I use it (often jokingly when watching stupidity in action), implies the complicated and irrational nature of humanity that is too difficult to explain by any other term. There are many more out there, with “We don’t know what we don’t know” being another one of my favorites.
I bring all this up because PressPlay has posted a great video this week in which a supercut of tautologies has been compiled from the hit television show The Wire. I greatly enjoyed the five-season series when it was on (though I don’t think quite as highly of it as other critics), and one of the unique qualities of the show was its depiction of the inadequacies of language to explain the horrors of urban life in America. In this short video, you will see everyone—from cops and lawyers to politicians and drug dealers—trying to explain their world and struggling to find the words. This struggle often results in the tautologies you will see here. Beware of adult language. Enjoy!
I bring all this up because PressPlay has posted a great video this week in which a supercut of tautologies has been compiled from the hit television show The Wire. I greatly enjoyed the five-season series when it was on (though I don’t think quite as highly of it as other critics), and one of the unique qualities of the show was its depiction of the inadequacies of language to explain the horrors of urban life in America. In this short video, you will see everyone—from cops and lawyers to politicians and drug dealers—trying to explain their world and struggling to find the words. This struggle often results in the tautologies you will see here. Beware of adult language. Enjoy!