They say that there is Global Warming.

They say that bacon is bad for you. They also say that spinach is healthy.

They also say that eggs are bad for you, except when they say that eggs are actually good for you.

They say that cryptocurrencies are the future of money...

WHO, Exactly?

We attribute an awful lot of stuff to "them" but "they" tend to remain intangible, nebulous, undefined, ambiguous.

Gull
Reflection and seagull

Sure, if we do our homework, we might be able to track "them" down... but nobody ever seems to actually do that. Unless, of course, "they" need to prove that they are right and they are wrong.

Get's confusing, doesn't it?

Seems to me that a lot of people use some from of "they" as an external mask over personal opinion. It's right up there with saying "studies suggest," as a preface to stating what is actually your own opinion.

Not that I can really blame anyone. Living in a state of personal accountability for what you feel, think and believe can be hard work, and even dangerous... if you end up being confronted by an angry mob whose opinions differ radically from your own!

Facing the Fear...

Some believe "they" are out to get us. Somehow. In some capacity.

Daffodil

Makes me wonder what "they" are planning to DO with me, once they "get" me. Will there be cake? A wedding announcement? A prison cell? Freedom?

We'll probably never know.

Of course, if we're going to drill down into the details, "they" are simply a figure of speech that allows us to — somehow — be non-specific, but somehow come across as having "authority."

Which got me to think about the many ways we feel threatened and fearful, in our daily lives. It's scary to fully own our opinions about religion-money-sex-abortion-politics and then be associated with that opinion. Throwing a good "they" or two out there allows us to abdicate ownership of the information. It's deflection; misdirection.

As of late, I have been in a very reflective mood. "They" say that it's common when people are going through protracted periods of stress... I guess that puts me in good company!

How about YOU? Ever ponder and pause who "they" are? Do you care? Do you use that figure of speech a lot? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

created by @zord189

(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180713 15:53 PDT