I posted a message on my chat app and someone responded with "no comment" but isn't "no comment" itself a comment? Is not taking sides tantamount to creating a side, a side that takes no sides? There's a difference between remaining silent and uttering the words, "I don't want to say anything". It's like announcing, "I don't want to exhale" but to speak one has to exhale. — TheMadFool
because people can have different reasons for not commenting. — Marchesk
I posted a message on my messaging app and someone responded with "no comment" but isn't "no comment" itself a comment? Is not taking sides tantamount to creating a side, a side that takes no sides? There's a difference between remaining silent and uttering the words, "I don't want to say anything". It's like saying, "I'm not exhaling" but to say that one has to exhale.
Comments... — TheMadFool
what's the difference between answer types 3 and 4? — TheMadFool
because it is clearly not grammatically correct because I am not expressing properly in that way.no comment
No comment is a holding statement and rich in potential interpretations. — Tom Storm
My words were met with a wall of silence. — Anonymous 1
It was as if the pen on the desk was speaking to me — Anonymous 2
No comment is best not read into as it contains a universe of potential meanings - including: 'Fuck you!', 'I don't know', 'I don't feel like sharing now', 'I have no views', 'I feel safer saying nothing as it might be problematic if I comment', 'I don't talk about that subject'.
No comment gains power when attached to some kinds questions and is some contexts. Such as, 'Did you hit that person?' No comment here could be read as an admission of guilt. And on it goes... — Tom Storm
Politicians say 'no comment' because their default setting (and their job) is never to give the game away. Someone is always looking to nail a politician for something (media, the other side, lobby groups), no comment serves to minimize potential ammunition. — Tom Storm
Are the reasons for replying to a question with "no comment" identical to the reasons for keeping mum? — TheMadFool
Silence does not achieve the same thing (even in an online one-on-one conversation).Why then is there this trend to say "no comment" when silence would've achieved the same thing? — TheMadFool
It wouldn't. One has to make one's silence heard, in order to distinguish one's silence from one's absence.Why then is there this trend to say "no comment" when silence would've achieved the same thing? — TheMadFool
Note that replying "I don't want to say anything" and similar metacommunicative utterances indicate that the power relationship between the communicating parties is equal, or that the prospective replier is not subordinated or doesn't consider themselves to be subordinated to the other one.There's a difference between remaining silent and uttering the words, "I don't want to say anything". — TheMadFool
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