Can you give an example of how one might apply the tactic generally, outside of the context of having been asked for a true taboo statement? I don’t doubt you, but I find myself unable to work it out. After all, the whole problem with statements like “children enjoy genital stimulation” is the implications of having brought the subject up.
I mean, I understand that “People claim children enjoy genital stimulation; I’m not sure myself but I think they might be right” is safer than “Children enjoy genital stimulation.” alone, by virtue of multiple levels of indirection and hedge phrases and whatnot, but it doesn’t seem possible to say either one in response to, say, “My child cries all night long, I wish there were some way to quiet them down!” (or, more generally though less entertainingly, to volunteer either of them) without triggering taboo penalties.
Can you give an example of how one might apply the tactic generally, outside of the context of having been asked for a true taboo statement? I don’t doubt you, but I find myself unable to work it out. After all, the whole problem with statements like “children enjoy genital stimulation” is the implications of having brought the subject up.
I mean, I understand that “People claim children enjoy genital stimulation; I’m not sure myself but I think they might be right” is safer than “Children enjoy genital stimulation.” alone, by virtue of multiple levels of indirection and hedge phrases and whatnot, but it doesn’t seem possible to say either one in response to, say, “My child cries all night long, I wish there were some way to quiet them down!” (or, more generally though less entertainingly, to volunteer either of them) without triggering taboo penalties.
Well … yeah, that would be a pretty terrible context to interject this little factoid in.
A better one might be in response to someone waxing eloquent over protecting the purity of The Children.