It's true.
Most of the time, when someone starts a phrase with, "Well, technically ..." and then continues to explain some sort of really fine-detailed technical point that is often just a semantics disagreement, I find myself rolling my eyes.
Okay, let me concede a point right off the bat; in certain contexts, technicality is extremely important. I get that. In certain scenarios, betting extremely technical can be the difference between success and failure. In certain scenarios, failure can have dire consequences.
Here's the thing, though. I'm not against being technical. I just hate the phrase, and here's why.
Let's consider a really tame example of when this phrase might be used.
A woman sees her friend and says "I really like your shirt. It's a nice red colour."
To this, her friend responds "Well, technically, it's maroon. But thanks."
Let's think about this response for a moment. What was the purpose of correcting the subtle colour difference? Was it necessary?
In my experience, there one major reason why people correct such subtle technicalities. It is an attempt to display smarts or superiority. There seems to be a satisfaction some people get when they correct someone in this small fashion. There was no real important reason to point out the slightly different colour, but it sounds smart, doesn't it?
I've certainly noticed that we live in a culture of "one-up the other", if you will. We always have to be boasting about something. We always have to make sure others know that we know things they don't. We constantly do things to feel superior to others.
It's this constant battle of always comparing ourselves to others, the desire to assert ourselves over others, that we seem to be living in right now as opposed to valuing kindness and appreciation.
Again, I want to stress that I think technicality is important. I'm not saying we shouldn't be technical. What I'm saying is that there are certain ways of talking that are jerk-like, and I find the "Well, technically..." phrase to be one of them.
If the technicality of a situation was really important, you probably would never hear someone starting their correction with that phrase. You probably wouldn't hear an assistant surgeon say to the primary surgeon, "Well, technically we're supposed to be doing a heart surgery, not a lung surgery."
It would probably sound more like, "Whoa, hold on a moment, Doctor. I thought this patient was scheduled for a heart surgery, not a lung surgery. Can we double check that?"
Can you see how that feels different? There isn't that smug sense of superiority with the latter compared to the former.
Isn't it interesting that you mostly hear people using the "well, technically" phrase when the technicality doesn't really matter? It's often used for more trivial things, and it's - again - just a way to seem smug or superior. As a buddy of mine put it, it's pretty much saying "You're right, but let me be MORE right, and rub it in your face."
Now, if someone wants to project such an attitude, that's their call. It's not a crime, nor should it be. It's just not very pleasant, and you probably won't make very many friends if you display it all the time.
So, the next time you have the urge to start a sentence with the phrase, "Well, technically ... " just stop for a moment and consider why you're saying it. Is it really important to the discussion?
Or are you just trying to be righter?
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