L-WOES
Linguistic Walks on Eggshells
Published on November 10, 2026 Article details
It is not completely surprising to hear or read the following words: “Are you sure you want to express yourself this way? Somebody might take it the wrong way.” Personally, I heard that from both humans and AI alike. And when it happens, I like to challenge that notion: “Really? How so?”
Given how humans seem to build their identities based on all sorts of things, from beliefs to products, philosophies, brands, religions, sports, and so on, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that somebody might interpret something we express somewhat negatively.
So in this day and age, when you still write your own material rather than ask the silicon wordsmith in da house to do it for you (or let Susie from marketing attack the piece with a red pen), your written work might end up appearing somewhat unsanitized. That unsanitized appearance can lead to what I like to call L-WOES, short for Linguistic Walks on Eggshells.
What can I say… L-WOES rob me of the fun of writing. Well, not really. Because on this website, I don’t have any. L-WOES, not fun (obviously). That is not to say that I don’t care at all. As I discussed in Thoughts on Experimenting with Form, simply dismissing a concern because “fuck you” isn’t really my modus operandi either. I do listen and make an effort, but if the conclusion is L-WOES, then feedback from you and anyone else is dismissed without batting an eyelash.
Now, the reason I feel so comfortable doing that is because of how I decided to build and approach my website even before I started working on it back in 2019: Do I want to optimize for eyeballs? Nope! Do I want to be part of a community reclaiming some space on the web for those with name-your-agenda to save the web? Nope! Do I want to carve out a niche for myself where I become an expert and go-to person for a handful of people? Nope! Do I actually want any visitors on my website? Apparently not…
I jest. Of course, visitors are always welcome and appreciated. It’s just that L-WOES are not. And yes, that means potentially losing visitors who might have stuck around otherwise. But if the price I would have to pay is expressing myself in ways I don’t enjoy, then those visitors’ permanent departure is not really a loss, is it? I keep having fun writing while the visitors in question are having fun elsewhere.
The End
