In the dusty outskirts of Seminole, Texas - just past the cotton fields and under the relentless spring sun - Peter Hildebrand stands outside a gas station, his eyes rimmed red and voice cracking.
It wasn’t obvious because of the age, it was obvious because people don’t say “back when I was in school” to refer to a doctorate. And when the context is specifically trying to emphasise how young they were at the time, they don’t tend to mean “when I was an undergrad”, either.
They didn’t say “back”, but yeah, I get what you mean.
Like, I remember hearing about these folks when I was in school in Texas.
They heard about them. This could’ve been because when they lived in Texas, Texans told them about the group. Or because they studied trends in anti-vax movements when they went to school in Texas.
I think the original point was that the reader has to make assumptions about what they meant, and my point was that even clarifying the age doesn’t change that we’re still making an assumption about when they were in Texas.
It wasn’t obvious because of the age, it was obvious because people don’t say “back when I was in school” to refer to a doctorate. And when the context is specifically trying to emphasise how young they were at the time, they don’t tend to mean “when I was an undergrad”, either.
They didn’t say “back”, but yeah, I get what you mean.
They heard about them. This could’ve been because when they lived in Texas, Texans told them about the group. Or because they studied trends in anti-vax movements when they went to school in Texas.
I think the original point was that the reader has to make assumptions about what they meant, and my point was that even clarifying the age doesn’t change that we’re still making an assumption about when they were in Texas.