“Appeler un chat un chat” is a French idiom that translates to “to call a cat or cat,” which means “to call something as it is.”
I don’t believe I will ever be qualified enough to call something as it is. There’s always a perspective that I will not know to consider or a viewpoint I will never fully understand, which means that I can never know or speak the utter truth. But it is that realization that no one can ever know everything that motivates me, because while initially discouraging, it makes me realize that all I have left to do is try. I have to continue to learn, continue to discover, continue to do my best to “call things as it is.” I have to continue to attempt to articulate my thoughts and gain a surer sense of what I believe. Even if what I intend to be objectivity comes out with its inevitable hints of bias, I feel it’s important to provide my two cents anyway, because these many perspectives are what lead to new ideas (and what make life interesting).
The phrase “appeler un chat un chat” is ironic in that it, in and of itself, exemplifies ambiguity. It speaks of being direct and honest, yet it mumbles about a cat (twice!). Our attempts at objectivity will nearly always be marred, but that doesn’t make them tarnished; rather, that’s what make our views so valuable.
Though I’m sure my blog’s focus will change often, I assume it’ll always carry my opinions and perspectives, though at times more obviously than others. My posts will undoubtedly have shortcomings, but I hope you consider giving them a read anyway, if with a grain of salt.
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appeler un chat un chat 